Michael C. Hyter's career has centered on developing people within organizations. Before leading the Executive Leadership Council, he advised senior executives and held leadership roles at talent-development firms, with work spanning succession planning, executive education and consulting on inclusion.
Hyter was born in Huntsville, Alabama, in 1957. He graduated from Cass Technical High School in Detroit in 1974 and earned a bachelor's degree in business and human resources at Michigan State University in 1978. That year, he began working in human resources at Hudson's Department Stores in Detroit. In 1993, he became vice president of community and government affairs for Dayton Hudson Corporation.
He joined J. Howard & Associates as a managing partner in 1996 and became president and chief executive of Novations in 2001, later leading Global Novations. After Korn Ferry acquired that firm in 2012, he joined Korn Ferry as a managing partner and then became its chief diversity officer.
Writing gave him another way into the subject. His book *The Power of Choice: Embracing Efficacy to Drive Your Career* appeared in 2020, and Base 11's speaker biography places it alongside his work advising executives and developing future leaders.
Hyter became the Executive Leadership Council's president and chief executive on March 1, 2021, succeeding Crystal Ashby, who had served as interim leader for fourteen months. The organization brings together Black senior executives and works to expand opportunities in corporate leadership.
In June 2023, Hyter co-hosted a roundtable with Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge, in a session HUD identified as gathering African American leaders. The talk covered barriers to homeownership and possible partnerships among government, nonprofits and businesses.
