Mike Howard, Former Chief Security Officer (CSO) for Microsoft Corporation, held global responsibility for vital security functions including operations, investigations, risk mitigation, crisis management, executive protection, security technology, strategy, intelligence, and employee awareness. Mike was the CSO of Microsoft for 16 years.
As a security leader, Mike contributed to the field through key roles in numerous industry organizations: CSO Roundtable Advisory Board, Past President; International Security Management Association (ISMA), Past President; Security Industry Association (SIA), Board of Directors (former); and U.S. State Department Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC), Technical Threats and Risk Committee (Former Head)
Mike spent 22 years with the Central Intelligence Agency, finishing as a Chief of Station. Mike also worked in the CIA’s Office of Security and served on the security staff of the Director of Central Intelligence. He worked in the Counterterrorism Center, ran global programs, and served in assignments around the world. He was executive officer for the Office of Military Affairs and a special investigator for the Office of Inspector General.
Mike also served as a law enforcement officer with the Oakland, California, police in the late 1970s. He holds a BS in criminal justice administration from San Jose State University with a minor in Sociology.
Mike speaks regularly as a subject matter expert on security and leadership while using his extensive security background to help drive industry innovation. He has been profiled in the security press, including Security Technology Executive and Security magazines. And was named one of the most influential people in security by Security 500 in 2010 and 2013, and the #2 Most Influential person in Fire & Security in 2013 by IFSEC. Mike received the Don Walker Award in 2018 from the ASIS Board of Directors for Enterprise Security Executive Leadership. Mike is also enthusiastic about mentoring the next generation of security leaders and is currently doing so in various capacities.
Post Microsoft, Mike is President of Howard Consulting Services, LLC, a security consulting, and mentoring firm based out of Las Vegas Nevada. Mike also currently serves as the President of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Foundation Board of Directors, is a member of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce and, he and his wife Janice have started the Michael and Janice Howard Foundation which provides resources for disadvantaged youth in the Las Vegas metropolitan area.
In 2021, Mike published a book on leadership –“The Art of Ronin Leadership – Strategy, Execution, Sustained Success.” In 2022, Mike published his second book on leadership, “The Art of Executing Ronin Leadership Strategies” which was an Amazon bestseller in five countries. Mike just finished his first action thriller “Full Circle” which was published in April 2023.
“Engaging action and appealing characters propel this rousing novel.”
– Kirkus Reviews
THRILLERS
FULL CIRCLE
BY Michael Howard • POSTED ON March 17, 2023
A retired spy reunites with his team to combat vengeful killers in Howard’s short thriller-series starter.
Middle-aged former CIA case officer Jack Trench, now living in Monterey, California, is shocked when he hears that an old colleague in Atlanta has been gunned down. Footage of the crime is even more startling, as the shooter employs a signature technique of the Communist New People’s Army. In the Philippines in 1990, Trench’s specialized unit, known as the Watchers, had dealings with the NPA—a vicious organization known for its assassinations of government officials. Trench connects the Atlanta shooting with a recent homicide in the Philippines and comes to believe that his old team members are now targets. Indeed, it turns out that someone—who blames Philippine authorities and the CIA for his father’s incarceration—has been training to get bloody revenge against his enemies. It doesn’t take long for Trench to work out who’s after the Watchers, and he convinces his ex-boss Patricia Helliwell to reactivate his team so that they can seek their own brand of retribution. Howard, who used to work for the CIA and is the author of such nonfiction books as The Art of Executing Rōnin Leadership Strategies (2022), delivers a taut, action-oriented story in this thriller, which has a striking and likable cast. The Watchers are an appealingly diverse team with a range of useful skills; Trench is a former U.S. Marine, for example, and nerdy Quigley Street has a doctorate in criminal psychology. Moreover, the story lays out a solid foundation for its later action with a lengthy opening that unfolds in 1990 Manila before hopping to the present day. Howard’s unadorned prose complements this streamlined narrative. Genre fans may find a lack of surprises overall. However, the action scenes, including gunfights (“The shotgun boomed and a 12 gauge round shattered the big screen television in the room”) and fisticuffs, really pop. The story builds to an exciting, albeit rushed, final act and aptly sets the stage for a second installment.
Engaging action and appealing characters propel this rousing novel.
Review Posted Online: June 7, 2023
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