Mike O'Mary is founder of the Note Project, a campaign to make the world a million times better by inspiring 1 million people to share notes of appreciation. He is also owner and publisher at Dream of Things, a book publisher and online retailer. In addition, Mike is author of The Note, a book about the power of appreciation, and Wise Men and Other Stories, a collection of holiday-related essays.
In his career, Mike has written essays, fiction, drama and sketch comedy. He has published stories and essays in the Sunday magazines of the Chicago Tribune, Denver Post, Baltimore Sun, Cleveland Plain Dealer and Detroit Free Press.
Mike has also written and produced sketch comedy in Chicago, and he was a commentator on WNIJ – Northern Illinois Public Radio, doing weekly commentaries as part of the local segment of National Public Radio’s Morning Edition program.
Mike is a graduate of Knox College (BA in Economics and English-Writing), the University of Montana (MFA in Creative Writing, MA in English Literature), and the Second City Comedy Writing Program.
In addition to his creative work, Mike has more than 20 years of experience in corporate communications, producing speeches, annual reports and other executive communications for the CEOs of Fortune 500 companies.
Mike's daughter, Kathleen, is an artist based in Chicago, Illinois. Mike is engaged to be married to Kathy Hayevsky, a Montessori teacher, in June 2011. They live in a 140-year-old house in Downers Grove, Illinois, along with several very noisy little birds.
