“I love showing off Santa Fe!”
Twenty eight years ago, Michael walked away from his corporate career and got in his car and started driving away from Chicago. “New Mexico had been hovering in my head and the minute I arrived in Santa Fe and hit the Paseo, I just knew I was home. There is truly no where else in this country that I would rather live,” Michael says passionately.
When he first moved to Santa Fe, Michael did what he dreamed of doing after college and became a struggling artist — dancing, training, performing, acting in small movie parts and commercials. “It was a lot of fun!”
Real estate was a natural transition for him, being a third generation Realtor, and Barker Realty became an ideal fit. “Because of my love for community, I am drawn to truly locally-owned and operated companies and, being in this building is fantastic! It has an amazing history and has always held a piece of my heart. I acted in ‘Black Box Theatre’ in this building years before the Barker family purchased it,” he says with a smile. “I feel like I grew up with David and Lisa and their three boys. They have been like my family. And the staff – in 23 years, it’s the best staff we have ever had! They are simply phenomenal.”
Michael is most decidedly a ‘people person,” and he receives tremendous satisfaction from his deep involvement in a highly personal business. “I love Santa Fe and I love showing it off to people new to town!” His love for Santa Fe is multi-faceted and includes the different profiles of neighborhoods, incredible culinary choices, its architecture, history, diversity and, “Santa Fe supports whoever you need to be. It doesn’t have a lot of expectations or conformity.”
The mountains are Michael’s playground and offer him a tranquil setting to enjoy many things he loves including skiing, mountain biking and climbing. He has been teaching adaptive skiing since 1980. “Our four seasons are beautiful and mild and offer a variety of outdoor activities throughout the year.” He particularly enjoys that Santa Feans don’t have to face a commute to get into the mountains, a challenge for many other parts of the country.
Michael’s involvement in the community runs deep and is primarily focused on organizations supporting children and teens. He currently sits on the Board of The Santa Fe Children’s Museum, is an active member of Rotary Club of Santa Fe, and a committee member for New Mexico Leadership Institute for scholarship recipients. For 18 years he taught dance and served on the board of NDI (National Dance Institute). Over the years, he has also coached little league, coached and choreographed for the Santa Fe Prep Dance teams, coached hockey, martial arts and Special Olympics.
