Michael Paddock grew up in northern Minnesota and attended Michigan Technological University, receiving bachelors degrees in civil engineering and surveying. He is a licensed professional engineer and surveyor whose professional career at CH2M Hill was spent managing teams of over 100 engineers designing infrastructure projects exceeding $1 billion, and he was the youngest-ever recipient of Wisconsin’s “Engineer of the Year” award.

After a near-death cancer experience, he was motivated to begin a pro bono engineering career that has delivered over 100 projects with Engineers Without Borders USA, Rotary International, and other nonprofits on five continents over the last 20 years. He currently lives in southeast Wisconsin with his wife Cathy.