Get to know Senator Mike Wilson...
Mike was born in New Albany, Mississippi, close to Tupelo where Elvis was from. At the age of 5 his father moved the family to Memphis, Tennessee after taking a job at a cotton seed mill. Mike grew up in Memphis but spent many wonderful summers on family farms in Mississippi. In December of 1972 He joined the United States Marine Corps serving his country for 8 ½ years. Upon his honorable discharge from the Marines in July of 1981 he attended college on the GI Bill.
Mike received his Bachelors Degree in Business Administration Management in May of 1986 from California State University at Fullerton. During his college years Mike served with Campus Crusade for Christ as a volunteer leader and Associate Staff Member for their Student Venture High School Ministry at Anaheim High School and Magnolia High School Campuses in Anaheim, California. He served as the Strength & Conditioning Coach for the Magnolia High School Football Team as well as the Team Chaplain.
Upon graduation from college Mike worked for the largest personal lines insurance broker in Southern California. There as a Sales Agent he was quickly promoted to Sales Manager and ultimately to Branch Manager for their Woodland Hills office in the San Fernando Valley. His leadership and management of over 45 employees within 5 departments helped turn an unprofitable office into one of the top earning branches in the company.
In December of 1989 Mike was invited to join the staff of Calvary Chapel of South Bay in Carson, California. Mike served this church of approximately 2000 adults as the Administrator and As Executive Minister. There he managed a staff of 13 people and oversaw all ministries within the church. He was also responsible for a million dollar annual budget and oversight of all financial expenditures and accounting. While at the church he helped establish a Community Crisis Hotline and a Volunteer Clergy Ride-Along Program under the Police Chaplain of the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department at the Carson station.
In September of 1993 Mike and his family packed up and moved across country to Bowling Green, Kentucky. Here Mike helped establish a small church and worked with the local Christian Radio Station to start a community wide event known as Harvest Festival. In October of 1994 Mike began working for Bowling Green Community Broadcasting, Christian Family Radio, as the Promotions Director and Business Partnership Director. In September of 1997 He was selected by the Board of Directors to become the next General Manager of the radio station. Under Mike's leadership the station grew from one full-power radio station in Bowling Green to 3 full-power stations to include Owensboro and Glasgow, Kentucky as well. Mike increased the community outreach and sponsorship of many community events such as the Community Impact Awards and Faith and Family Nights with the Bowling Green Hot Rods Baseball Team. Mike is currently employed by Davert USA Inc. which is a metal fabricator providing metal manufactured tooling and specialty items to the manufacturing industry and specifically automotive assembly plants like GM, Honda, Nissan, Toyota, Kia, BMW, and many more.
Mike is also very involved in the community as a member of The Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber Ambassador's Club. You will regularly see him at many ribbon cuttings and grand openings of local businesses. He has served on the Agri-Business Committee and the Government Relations Committee. He helped develop the Police Chaplain Program for the Bowling Green Police Department and served as a Police Chaplain for a period of time. He is on the Board of Directors of the Barren River Area District FCA, Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He attends Crossland Community Church and also serves on the board of The Bowling Green Area Prayer Breakfast which holds it's annual event on the 1st Tuesday every December. Mike has served as President, Vice President and Secretary of the Greenwood High School Quarterback Club. Mike is very active in the arts and has appeared in numerous plays at The Public Theatre of Kentucky and with Fountain Square Players.
Mike also serves as the Kentucky State Senator in the General Assembly for District 32 which includes all of Warren county and the city of Bowling Green. Formerly known as the Chairman of the Education Committee, Mike was elected by his fellow Senate GOP Caucus members to serve as a member of leadership as Senate Majority Whip. Senator Wilson also served as Co-chair of EAARS, Education Accountability & Assessment, Committee, and is a member of the Education Budget Oversight Committee, the Military and Veterans Affairs / Public Protection Committee, and the Economic Development & Tourism Committee. Mike also serves on the Board of Advisers for Western Kentucky University. He is a board member of The Fund for Transforming Education, a member of the Board of Advisors for Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, a Commissioner on the Education Commission of the States, and a Legislative Representative on the Southern Region Education Board, SREB.
Mike has five children, Michael Jr., Dawn, Sam, Grace, and Jessie. Michael has followed the farming side of the family and currently farms about 2000 acres in the Mississippi Delta. Dawn is currently working and attending college in Knoxville, Tennessee. Sam recently graduated from Lindsey Wilson College where he started at the position of inside linebacker of the football team for 4 years and served as a team captain and is now pursuing a music career as a composer of EDM music. Grace graduated from Greenwood High School in 2011. She is an avid singer and actress who has appeared in many plays in the community through The Capitol Arts Youth Theatre and The Public Theatre of Kentucky's Sunburst Youth Theatre. She appeared in Justin Bieber's “One Less Lonely Girl” music video and since has been in several others and recently filmed one with The Band Perry and will be filming a TV series this summer in a recurring role. She has lived in in North Hollywood and auditioned for feature films and TV shows as well as commercials. She is now the mother of Bo and living back in Bowling Green. Jessie graduated from South Warren High School and is also an aspiring actress and singer. She has appeared on CMT in country music singing star Kelly Pickler's music video “I Wonder”.
Mike will tell you that the most important decision he ever made was in November of 1979 when he accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior. “It changed the whole direction of my life and my belief system about life.” Today I realize my life is about serving others and that's what drives me on a daily basis. I am here to make a difference and I want to do that for my family, my friends, and my community.