Michael Lee

Chief Legal and Administrative Officer

Michael leads a wide portfolio of strategic functions including legal, compliance, human resources, culture and inclusion, facilities and safety. Since joining the USGA in 2017 as an in-house attorney, Michael has steadily advanced through senior leadership roles across legal, HR and facilities, and now provides executive oversight of those departments.

Before joining the USGA, Michael served as associate general counsel at Pearson, a global leader in education and technology, where he was a member of the senior leadership team and led multiple legal teams supporting technology, compliance, marketing, communications, and crisis management. He began his legal career as a law clerk to the Honorable Thomas J. McAvoy (U.S. District Court, NDNY) and then as an associate at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in New York, where he practiced both litigation and corporate law. Michael also held the dual role of general counsel and vice president of operations at a privately held startup where he oversaw legal, HR, and business operations during a key growth phase prior to its sale to private investors.

Michael spent much of his early childhood living around the world before settling in the United States. He now calls New Jersey home. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the State University of New York at Albany and a Juris Doctor from St. John’s University School of Law.