Michael Turco

Michael Turco is the Senior Manager for the Design Operations Unit at TMU's Creative School, where he oversees operations for Fashion, Performance, Interior Design and New Media programs. He has been with the Creative School for six years.

Michael is a higher education professional with almost two decades of student-centred leadership experience, working in the US, UK, and Canada. Prior to arriving at TMU, he was with the Royal College of Art (RCA) in the UK, the world's number one postgraduate art and design university. At the RCA, Michael managed the integration of three faculties into one, developed global partnerships, served on the Senate, and built inclusive arts curriculua. Michael was invested as a Fellow of the College for his service to the institution. He has additional higher education experience working at medical and social science schools at the University of East Anglia in the UK, and at DEI offices at Ohio State University.

Before working in higher education, Michael was in politics and government, working in the British House of Commons and the UK Ministry of Justice. He returned to the post-secondary sector to give back to the environment that he values dearly. As a two-time immigrant and first generation student, Michael knows firsthand the life-changing impact of higher education, and is proud to have worked in the sector for 17 years.

At TMU, in addition to serving on the Board of Governors, Michael served as the Co-chair of the 2SLGBTQ+ Faculty and Staff Network for five years, and was a group recipient of the Alan Shepard EDI Award for Positive Space's foundational partnership work across campus. He has also served on the Creative School Black Joy Committee, the Dean's Equity Action Council, the First Year Experience Committee, and a number of various campus-wide initiatives. Outside of TMU, he is a Trustee of the Bill 7 Award, Ontario's largest and oldest 2SLGBTQ+ scholarship, and a CRA-registered charity. His previous volunteer experience includes community outreach with ACT Toronto, and working as a career-coach for the Terrence Higgins Trust (UK), counselling HIV+ clients returning to the work place.

Michael is a graduate of King's College London, with an MA in European Politics, and from Ohio State University, with a double major in Political Science and International Relations, where he was the recipient of the Harold MacIntosh LGBTQ Service Scholarship. He has professional development certifications from Harvard, Harvard Buisness, McGill, Cambridge, and the University of Alberta.