​Mike Schroeder

Mike attended High School in Indianapolis and two-year trade school in Electronics in Louisville, graduating in 1968.

He founded Consumer Satellite Systems (CSS) in 1980. He, along with about 10 to 20 others created the consumer satellite TV industry with the “BIG” dishes. Today the industry serves over 45 million households through DirecTV and DISH Network.

In 1986 he established National Programming Service, a division of CSS. He designed billing software and built an internal call center to manage 400,000 programming subscribers in the US, Canada and Mexico. In 1998, when CSS had over 400 employees and 10 distribution locations, he merged the company with DSI Systems in Iowa, which had 15 warehouses west of the Mississippi, and retired.

In 2002 he joined the Board of Directors of EchoStar, parent company to DISH Network, and was on the Audit, Compensation and Nominating Committees. In 2008 EchoStar split into two public companies, DISH Network and EchoStar Corporation (SATS, NASDAQ). Mike currently sits on the board of directors for EchoStar, the parent company of Hughes Communications, and is the chairman of the audit committee. EchoStar flies 7 Geostationary Spacecraft, providing data services world-wide, and two‑way Internet throughout the continental US and parts of Mexico and Brazil.

In Sedona, Mike has served as President of Back O Beyond Ranch HOA for over 10 years.

Mike is a commercial pilot with over 3,000 hours in singles, turboprops and jets. He currently owns and flies a Beechcraft B100 King Air turboprop. He does volunteer charity flights for Veterans Airlift Command, (VAC) transporting vets with disabilities, as well as various environmental missions for LightHawk.

Mike is married, with five combined children, seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren.