Michael Sarafa

Michael G. Sarafa

President & CEO
Bank of Michigan

About Michael Sarafa:

Michael G. Sarafa was a Bank of Michigan organizer and helped open the Bank in January of 2005 as Vice Chairman of the Board. In January of 2006, he assumed the role as Executive Chairman and became President & CEO in April 2006. In June of 2007, Crain’s Detroit Business magazine named Bank of Michigan the fastest growing bank in southeast Michigan. Sarafa is a graduate of the American Bankers Association Stonier Graduate School of Banking.

In his capacity as CEO of the bank, Sarafa has overall responsibility for management, operations, public relations and business development. He is leading a five year strategic plan that has kept Bank of Michigan in good stead during the economic downturn in Michigan. His leadership as an industry advocate in government and regulatory circles lead to his recent appointment to the Board of Directors of the Michigan Bankers Association.

Prior to joining Bank of Michigan full-time, Sarafa was President of Associated Food Dealers of Michigan (AFD), where he oversaw all activities of the multi-million dollar trade association including membership recruitment, management of over a dozen service programs, legislative advocacy, public relations and the Foundation.

Sarafa received his Juris Doctor from Wayne State University Law School in 1997 and his masters in Government Administration from the University of Pennsylvania, Fels Center of Government in 1993. While attending law school at Wayne State, Sarafa worked as an Executive Assistant to Detroit Mayor Dennis W. Archer in various legislative, legal and advisory capacities.

Other previous positions include Government Affairs Associate at Muchmore, Harrington, Smalley & Associates and Special Assistant to House Minority Leader Paul Hillegonds. Sarafa also established his own private practice, Sarafa & Yaldoo, P.C., in Detroit where he specialized in government affairs, regulatory work, real estate and commercial transactions.

Sarafa serves on the boards of numerous civic and charitable organizations including Covenant House Michigan and the Farmington Hills Economic Development Corporation. Recently, he was named Chairman of the Board of Youth Vision Solutions (YVS), a not-for-profit charter school management company that oversees three charter schools in the inner city.

Recently, Sarafa was tapped for the Task Force on Judicial Selection, a blue ribbon panel of citizens selected to review the process by which state judges come into office. He has received numerous awards including being recognized by Crain’s Detroit Business as one of their 40 under 40 in 2004. He was selected by Wayne State University’s Center for Peace & Conflict Studies for their 2005 Community Peacemaker Award.

Sarafa is married with three children.

He has been a member of the Covenant House Michigan Board of Directors since 2003.