Mike Wussow is the founder of The Wussow Company.

He cut his teeth in Washington, D.C., where he worked as a legislative aide for a United States senator from his home state of Tennessee. (He still reads Foreign Affairs magazine for fun.) Since working in the world’s most deliberative body, in addition to stints back in the nation’s capital, he has spent time on two U.S. coasts in leadership roles in the private and non-profit sectors, including a public policy think tank and strategic communication practices.

Though a fan of social media, Mike still loves the smell of newsprint in the morning with his coffee (both straight up and bitter, please). He also wishes presidential debates were still in the format of Lincoln-Douglas.

The mentors, colleagues, staff, bosses, clients and—in the case of non-profit work—funders that Mike has been lucky enough to work with have shaped his perspectives and refined his professional instincts, all to the benefit of clients of The Wussow Company. Some are names that many know: former U.S. Senator Fred Thompson, CBS News’ Chief White House Correspondent Major Garrett, Microsoft Corp., Cerner Corporation, and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, to name just a few.

Those who have worked with Mike describe him as thoughtful, trustworthy and tenacious. And they say he can write and edit with clarity and purpose.

Mike has been a reporter and editor, and he was a graduate instructor of strategic communication at the University of Missouri School of Journalism, where he earned a master’s in journalism. He learned to report, write and edit thanks to Mizzou. Marquette University, where he earned his bachelor’s, taught him to think critically and analytically.