Mike Thornton is an AMIkids veteran. He began his career with our company in 1990 as a Remedial Education Instructor at AMIkids Pinellas, where he interacted with our kids daily. It was during this initial assignment that he fully embodied our core value, “Kids First.” Over his career, Mike has had the opportunity to work for seven programs, serving as an Executive Director at five in three states. As an Executive Director, Mike led Day Treatment and Residential programs. Mike has earned many program and leadership awards during his career with AMIkids, including Director of Operations of the Year. He often says that was one of his favorite positions because it allowed him to work closely with our youth daily. He eventually joined the home office as a Regional Director, which allowed him to cultivate and mentor talent among the Executive Director ranks. Colleagues describe Mike as a servant leader who demonstrates a keen ability to listen and reflect on complex situations and communicate solutions that reflect empathy and respect. The network of executive directors under his leadership has developed into outstanding leaders throughout the organization.
After serving as a Regional Director for nearly 8 years, he took on the Director of Human Resources role. Then, he was promoted to Vice President of Support Services. The ability to make sound business decisions based on our values and his principled leadership allowed Mike to recruit talented team members, establish new partnerships, and expand our network with value-aligned community leaders, policymakers, and agencies serving at-risk populations. Mike graduated from Tennessee Technological University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. He also attained a Master’s in Educational Leadership from Georgia Southern University. Mike has continued his professional development by earning the Human Resources Professional Certificate. He is a graduate of both Leadership Gainesville and Leadership Florida. Mike is committed to using his education, experience, and convictions to lead AMIkids to new levels of success and service.
Mike is married and has two kids.