Michael Vitale is a native of Greenville and a 1973 graduate of J.L. Mann High School. After graduation, he started his college career at Clemson University before transferring to the University of Louisville where he majored in Accounting and received his commission to the US Navy upon his graduation from the Navy Reserve Officer Training Program in 1977. In addition, he has a Master of Arts degrees from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA and in National Security Strategy from the National War College in Washington. Michael served in the Navy for 35 years as a Surface Warfare Officer, finishing his career as the Commander, Navy Installations Command, where he was responsible for the readiness and operation of the Navy’s 70 bases worldwide. In 2012, he became the Executive Director of the University of Hawaii’s Applied Research Laboratory and in 2015, joined KPMG’s Federal Advisory practice as a Managing Director. Some of his greatest achievements include serving as Commanding Officer, USS John S McCain (DDG 56) in Pearl Harbor HI and then Yokosuka Japan, and as the Commander, Carrier Strike Group 2, Theodore Roosevelt Strike Group, in Norfolk VA and Commander, Navy Installations Command from 2009-2012. Michael also received numerous awards from the Navy, chief among them include the Navy’s Distinguished Service Award and Naval Postgraduate School’s Distinguished Alumni Graduate Award, both awarded in 2012.
