Michael Coleman

Mike brings people to the table.

As Co-Founder and Lead Storyteller at Common Thread, Mike makes sure that the people whose lives are most affected by decisions shape how it’s made, and how their stories are told.

He has held senior communications roles with UN agencies in Angola, New York, Pakistan, and Viet Nam, and brings a background in social development, documentary production, and journalism. Years spent supporting polio eradication efforts and responding to violence against health workers in Pakistan taught him to listen deeply before acting.

Mike holds a MA in Political Communications from Goldsmiths at the University of London. He is a member of Design for Health, a USAID–Gates Foundation community of practice, and has served as a guest lecturer at NYU’s School of Global Public Health and a lead trainer for the Center for Disease Control’s STOP Polio Programme. 

When he’s not working, you’ll find him in the mountains or coaching his daughters’ soccer team. He speaks French and Spanish with enthusiasm, if not perfection.