Born in Lomira, Wisconsin, Michels graduated from Lomira High School in 1980. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from St. Norbert College in 1984, an MBA from the [[University of Chicago]] in 1997, and an MPA from the Illinois Institute of Technology the same year. | Born in Lomira, Wisconsin, Michels graduated from Lomira High School in 1980. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from St. Norbert College in 1984, an MBA from the [[University of Chicago]] in 1997, and an MPA from the Illinois Institute of Technology the same year. |