Michael Salen

I help organizations turn accessibility from a reactive checklist into a sustainable, measurable program. As an Accessibility Program Manager, I provide fractional and project-based leadership across strategy, governance, and execution without requiring you to hire full-time leadership before you’re ready.

Services I Offer:

• Accessibility program strategy and roadmap development
• Governance design (roles, RACI, decision paths, operating cadence)
• Cross-functional alignment across Product, Design, Engineering, QA, Legal, Procurement, and Operations
• VPAT/ACR process readiness and lifecycle management
• Risk-based prioritization and remediation planning
• KPI/dashboard design for executive visibility and accountability
• Change management, stakeholder communications, and team enablement

My Approach:

I start by assessing your current maturity, workflows, and risk profile. Then I build a practical, phased plan focused on high-impact outcomes: clearer ownership, better delivery integration, and stronger compliance readiness. I emphasize repeatable systems so accessibility becomes part of how your organization works every day.

What Sets Me Apart:

I bring a rare blend of Product, Project, and Program Management leadership with hands-on accessibility experience (including accessibility testing and VPAT collaboration). I specialize in translating accessibility requirements into business-aligned execution plans that leaders can fund, teams can follow, and customers can feel. My style is collaborative, structured, and outcomes-driven: I meet organizations where they are, build momentum quickly, and create durable accessibility capability that scales.

I’m a Product, Project, and Program Management professional with 15+ years of experience leading cross-functional initiatives in complex enterprise environments. My career began in software testing, where I was introduced to accessibility through hands-on accessibility test work at Microsoft. Later, as a Product Manager at Avaya, I helped lead VPAT-related efforts for a product I owned, which was an experience that reinforced how important accessibility is for trust, usability, and market readiness.

Over time, I realized my strongest contribution is helping organizations operationalize accessibility: turning good intentions into clear governance, practical roadmaps, and accountable execution across teams. I’ve worked at the intersection of strategy and delivery, partnering with Product, Engineering, QA, Legal, Operations, and leadership to align priorities and drive measurable outcomes.

My path into accessibility has not been linear, and that’s part of what shapes my approach. I understand the reality many teams face with competing priorities, limited capacity, and uncertainty about where to start. That perspective drives me to make accessibility approachable, structured, and sustainable.

What motivates me most is simple: inclusive experiences improve life for real people. I believe accessibility should be built into the way organizations plan, deliver, and measure success. Not treated as a last-minute checkbox. My mission is to help teams build durable accessibility capability that benefits customers, employees, and communities alike.

Beyond work, I’m a builder at heart. A builder of ideas, communities, and stories.

I’m a lifelong learner who genuinely enjoys studying and growth. I spend a lot of my personal time reading, taking courses, and sharpening my craft across program leadership, accessibility, and emerging technology. I’m also deeply interested in mentoring and helping others, especially people from underserved communities, navigate careers in tech, product, and program management.

Creatively, I love writing and storytelling. I’m especially drawn to mystery and horror, and I enjoy exploring stories that center diverse, underrepresented protagonists. Long-term, one of my dreams is to blend community, learning, and storytelling by opening a coffee shop/bookstore space focused on connection and curiosity.

I’m also a big believer in purpose-driven work. Outside of day-to-day delivery, I care deeply about inclusion, belonging, and creating environments where people feel seen and supported. That value system shapes how I lead, how I collaborate, and how I show up for clients.

At home, life is full and grounded in family, humor, and perseverance. I bring that same human-centered perspective into my professional work: empathy first, clarity always, and steady progress over perfection.