Michael Van Pelt is President of Cardus. He has over 20 years of experience in public life, including advocacy with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, the Chamber of Commerce and serving as a municipal Councillor. He continues to consult widely, helping institutions connect their beliefs with their behaviours.

Michael is a graduate of McMaster University, and the author of numerous articles ranging from religion and public life to economics and government policy. He is the founder of the Stained Glass Urbanism Project, a unique initiative studying the impact of religious faith in urban centres, and the Trade Corridors Project, examining the movement of goods and services across the Canadian/American border. In 2009 he was appointed to the board of Montreal-based Rights & Democracy, by Minister of Foreign Affairs Hon. Lawrence Cannon.

He lives in Ancaster, Ontario with his wife Deani and his three children.

Read Michael's inaugural address for the launch and mission of Cardus, formerly the Work Research Foundation, in the Fall of 2008: Renewing Canada's Social Architecture.