Many experiences have influenced me and helped shape me into who I am and how I see myself, as well as how I contribute to others around me.
I have always been interested in math, but computer science classes were primitive when I was pursuing my undergraduate degree at Michigan State University. Working on mainframe computers limited to three trial runs of programs per day steered me away from computer science as a major. Instead, I was a telecommunications major for two years before switching to electrical engineering and graduating with a Bachelor of Science in 1987.
I began work as an electrical engineer in Detroit while I pursued my MBA at Wayne State University. I wanted this degree to balance out my technical undergraduate degree and to help me become more aware of the business world. Shortly after receiving my MBA, my wife, daughter, and I moved to Virginia for my wife’s one-year fellowship training. Upon completion of her fellowship, we moved to the Milwaukee area, where I began working as an actuarial analyst for Milliman, a consulting firm in Brookfield.
I consider my time at Milliman to have profoundly shaped who I am professionally. The work was extremely technical and challenging and the people with whom I worked were amazingly smart and yet approachable and friendly. All projects required precision and accuracy, but also demanded creativity and active problem-solving abilities. The projects were mostly Excel-based, but they were far from simple “columns being added, total at the bottom.” Every project challenged me to create an output that was accurate, fast, user-friendly and well documented. I’m sure this is one of the reasons I am so interested in IT – the solutions require accuracy but demand creativity to solve a given problem. Working at Milliman motivated me to view every project as a reflection of myself and to approach everything I attempt with that mindset.
I left Milliman to become a stay-at-home dad. Now my children are two wonderful young adults. Having helped them with various college classes and test preparation, I realized that I missed formal learning and enjoy challenging myself to expand the depth and breadth of my computer knowledge.
1988-1995 Electrical Engineer at Albert Kahn Associates, Detroit, MI
Responsible for designing electrical systems used in large industial and medical facilities. Also designed computer programs to calculate lighting output of various lighting fixtures and to calculate tension on electrical power lines.
1996-2009 Actuarial Analyst Milliman, Inc, Brookfield, WI
Designed and maintained Excel spreadsheet programs that created medical service fee schedules and compared them to Medicare fee schedules. Created state filings for Medicare Advantage plans.
2009-2024 Excel Consultant Self-Employed
Created and updated a physician scheduling program that assigns various physicians to available postions throughout Wisconsin at multiple sites and mulitple disciplines.
Created and maintain a weighted distribution of workload throught all facilities and disciplines withing a large physician group to ensure equitable distribution of caseload and necessary staffing accross all facilities covered by the group.
Created and maintain a bonus distribution spreadsheet to ensure appropriate distribution of income based on multiple factors.
- 1982-1987 BS Electrical Engineer at Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
- 1987-1994 MBA at Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
- 2020-2023 Applied Computing UW-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI
- 2024-2026 (intended) Information Science and Technology, UW-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI
I can be reached in many ways and am always eager to discuss my background:
- School Email: mdurham@uwm.edu
- Personal Email: mike.durham@yahoo.com
- Call/Text: +1 262 853-1775
- Facebook:
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- LinkedIn:
Much of my Excel work has been shaped by my work at Milliman. The ability to create, maintain, and update large complex spreadsheeds has carried over into my consulting work. An example of such a spreadsheet is a bonus calculation spreadsheet for a large physician group. It analyzes various degrees of ownership within the group, part-time status, pension contributions, salary adjustments and redistribution of profit. I pride myself on how logically it is arranged, making an extremely complicated program easy to follow and use.
During my time as an Applied Computing student, I created many object-oriented programs, created a mobile-app based website and created both SQL and NoSQL databases
On a personal note, I am a endurance athlete. I have completed two full Ironman races, many shorter distance triathlons and running events. I have completed eight marathons, qualifying for the Boston Marathon in August 2024. I view running and fitness as a positive feedback loop integral to everything I do. When I run and stay fit, I have more energy and positivity for the rest of my life, which in turn energizes my running and fitness.