Michael Severance is the Director of Instituto Acton. In that capacity he represents the Institute principally in Rome and Europe via public speaking, contributing to international media, and is responsible organizing private and public conferences, publishing Acton books in foreign languages, and facilitating grants and scholarship opportunities. He is also leads the ever-expanding networking opportunities and relations among religious, curial, university, business, and seminarian communities while directing the day-to-day operations of Acton’s Rome office. He is a member the board of writers for the International Van Thuan Observatory for Catholic Social Doctrine and has served in advisory capacities for many other religious institutions in Rome and Europe.
Michael earned his B.A. in philosophy and humane letters from the University of San Francisco, where he also studied at the university's St. Ignatius Institute, a great books program. He then pursued his linguistic studies in Salamanca, Spain where he obtained his Advanced Diploma in Spanish from Spain's Ministry of Education before obtaining his M.A. in Philosophy and Modern Languages (Iberian scholasticism) from the Dominican-run Blackfriars Hall at the University of Oxford. While living in Italy, Michael has worked in various professional capacities in teaching philosophy and Latin, Vatican journalism, public relations, fundraising, as well as property redevelopment and management.
