Expertise
Corporate Health / Worksite Wellness
Master Certified Health Education Specialist
Works more in Inspiration than Motivation for Behavior Change
Supports Individuals / Clients find their stories
Bio
When he was six years old Mike Perko nervously stepped on the ice in Ithaca NY for his first youth hockey practice and promptly had an asthma attack. A volunteer coach knelt down, put his hand on Mike’s chest and gently talked him back to a state of calm. Mike never forgot this and has made it his purposeful work to embrace care and empathy in all areas of his life.
In his 30 years in worksite wellness and public health, Mike remains passionate in his efforts not just helping workplaces embrace more healthful cultures but also the communities where those employers and employees live.
Mike has facilitated over 100 workshops and sessions on health topics including up all night – the importance of sleep health, the secrets of America’s healthiest companies, and building engaging cultures of care at the workplace. Mike spreads this message at forums including the Institute for Organizational Management, the U.S. National Chamber of Commerce Executive Training Seminar, the Johns Hopkins University Graduate School of Public Health, and the National Safety Leadership Summit. Proudly, Mike served as the inaugural speaker for a health promotion initiative for US ARMY forces stationed at the 173rd Airborne division in Vicenza, Italy. Closer to home, Dr. Perko serves in a consultant role as the Chief Wellness Advisor to the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). At NRECA Mike has trained over 2500 Benefits Administrators responsible for managing the health of 35,000 association members in best practices in worksite wellness.
Currently a Professor of Public Health Education at UNC Greensboro, Mike knows that the healthiest communities had the opportunity to be healthy as kids. Mike has been to Capitol Hill numerous times to advocate to congressional leaders for healthier schools and greater access for kids to become physically fit. His fifth children’s book, “How to EAT, LEAP, and SLEEP like a SUPERHERO!” won the Bronze Medal at the National Health Information Awards Competition in 2017.
A graduate of East Stroudsburg University, PA., with both a BS and MS in Community Health and Physical Education and the University of Alabama for his PhD in Health Promotion, Mike likes nothing more than to join his wife and kids in any physical activity that doesn’t involve height!
