Brighton Man Receives National Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
June 4, 2026
 
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Brett Rogers
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brogers@cleary.edu
 
Brighton man receives national award for helping transform learning
 
(HOWELL, MI) Mike Mast, a member of the Cleary University Board of Trustees and Principal Program Manager for Microsoft, received the 1EdTech Learning Impact Award for his service on the organization’s board, and for championing new, groundbreaking initiatives to help shape the future of learning. Mast was recognized for his efforts to advance teaching, learning and institutional effectiveness through the Student Working Group and the CASE Global Ecosystem, in an effort to address urgent needs in the educational ecosystem.
 
According to 1EdTech, award recipients demonstrate how thoughtfully designed digital ecosystems can expand opportunity, improve outcomes and enable continuous improvements from supporting lifelong educator development and student success to empowering institutions with actional insights, reports Curtiss Barnes, 1EdTech CEO. “These award winners went above and beyond in promoting and contributing to 1EdTech’s work,” Barnes says.
 
Mast has served on the Board of Directors of 1EdTech for four years and was named to Cleary’s Board of Trustees in January 2025. He has worked at Microsoft for eight years. Prior to Microsoft, Mast was a vice president at Blackboard, working in platform strategy and product development. He is a Brighton resident.
 
About 1EdTech
1EdTech is a global community committed to building an integrated foundation of open standards that make educational technology work better for everyone. Its mission is to reduce complexity, accelerate innovation and expand opportunities for learners worldwide. Its goal is
to create and evolve community-developed technical standards and practices that support learner success throughout the lifelong learning continuum.

 
About Cleary University
Founded in 1883, Cleary University is a four-year, non-profit, private accredited university, offering undergraduate and graduate degrees from a unique Business Arts curriculum, driven by a faculty of thought leaders with deep, practical experience in their industries. Providing on-
campus and online education models, Cleary also offers a robust athletic program of 21 sports and a rich residence life with two residence halls situated on a quiet, rolling 50-acre campus. Cleary graduates tend to land jobs faster than their peers and with higher earning salaries at the start of their careers.

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