Michael Robert Brown

Mike grew up in Joliet, Illinois and graduated from Joliet West High School. He attended Joliet Junior College for two years and earned an Associate in Arts and Sciences degree. During this time, Mike was able to earn money for college working with his father on the family farm. After graduation from the junior college, Mike was accepted into the NIU College of Business and Accountancy program graduating in 1983 with a degree in accountancy. Leveraging the career resources at NIU and his agricultural experiences, he began his career accepting a role as the Northern Region Accounting Supervisor for DeKalb Ag Research, an agricultural and natural resources company (now part of Monsanto). After a few years of broad finance and accounting experience, he left DeKalb and joined Baxter International in Deerfield, Illinois. Baxter is a leading global healthcare company that develops, manufactures, and markets products that save and sustain the lives of people with hemophilia, immune disorders, infectious diseases, kidney disease, trauma, and other chronic and acute medical conditions. During his more than 25-year career at Baxter, Mike has held a number of senior leadership positions in Corporate Finance as well in several of Baxter’s business units. Taking advantage of Baxter’s tuition reimbursement program Mike also graduated from NIU’s Executive MBA program with Beta Gamma Sigma Honors in 1996. In addition, Mike successfully utilized the NIU Accountancy program’s review courses passing the CMA and CIA exams. He has remained involved with Northern: actively recruiting for Baxter, speaking to several classes, and coaching a number of teams on campus over the years. He is a member of the College of Business Dean’s Board of Executive Advisors, the NIU Athletic Advisory Council, and the NIU Executive Forum. He was honored to be recognized by NIU in 2006 as an Accountancy Department Outstanding Alumni. He is listed in; Whose Who in America and Whose Who in the World. Mike lives in Buffalo Grove and has been involved with a number of charities including the Highland Park Hospital Foundation, the United Way, and the Will County Historical Society. He is interested in family history and travel.