Built in Portland

A PSU Beginning Rooted in Opportunity

Mike Bishop, a Portland State University business alumnus from the class of 1990, earned his bachelor’s degree in Business with an emphasis in Marketing. In December, he reached a significant professional milestone when he was appointed Regional Vice President for LegalShield, overseeing Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. Mike has been with the company since 1997.

Originally from Medford, Oregon, Mike graduated from high school in 1985 and began his college journey at Southern Oregon University. After two years, he took a year off to travel and work with DeMolay, a youth leadership fraternity that reinforced his early interest in leadership, service, and personal responsibility. He later transferred to Portland State University, earned his way into the School of Business, and worked to pay for tuition.

“I was drawn to PSU by the idea of living and learning in Oregon’s largest city while attending one of the state’s top business schools,” Mike says.

He graduated in 1990 and remained in the Portland area for another eight years. Some of his favorite memories include living in Montgomery Hall, working at Ondine, and holding a job at the “Black Box” at 200 Market Street. Many of the friendships he formed during that time remain important to him today.

Learning Independence and Confidence at PSU

Moving to Portland State marked Mike’s first time living away from home. That transition, he says, played a critical role in shaping who he became both personally and professionally.

“The support I received at PSU helped me build independence, discipline, and confidence,” he reflects.

While at PSU, Mike worked for Housing Services, which helped pay for college while teaching him responsibility and professionalism early on. Being immersed in a downtown business environment proved invaluable. During that time, he also worked as an advertising sales representative for a friend’s startup, his first real exposure to entrepreneurship and self-employment.

“That exposure laid the foundation for the career path I ultimately chose,” he says.

Discovering a Career Path With Purpose

Mike’s career with LegalShield began in 1997 while he was working in management at a printing company. After being introduced to a LegalShield membership, he quickly saw its value in his own life.

“The LegalShield law firm helped resolve a rental property issue, kept a couple of traffic tickets off my driving record, and assisted with an insurance matter after I was rear-ended,” he says. “So right away, the service saved me more money than it cost.”

LegalShield’s training and mentorship allowed Mike to grow his business alongside full-time work. In 1998, he decided to become fully self-employed, a move that allowed him to work from home and prioritize his family. Over the years, he served in a variety of local and statewide leadership roles, building a business grounded in access, trust, and long-term value.

Through LegalShield and IDShield, Mike has helped provide legal access and identity protection to individuals, small business owners, school districts, corporations, and municipalities. That broad reach has reinforced his belief that meaningful benefits should be accessible to everyone and should bring real value to workplace culture.

In December, he was honored to be asked to lead a four-state region as Regional Vice President.

Leadership Lessons That Last

Reflecting on his journey, Mike credits his success to persistence, self-belief, and a willingness to bet on himself. “When you work as hard for yourself as you would for someone else, you gain the freedom to set your own priorities and determine your own value,” he says.

Building residual income for his family continues to motivate him, along with the opportunity to travel with his wife through LegalShield’s incentive programs, especially the annual all-expense-paid “honeymoon” trips they’ve come to cherish.

PSU Professors and Principles That Shaped His Work

Several PSU experiences continue to influence Mike’s approach to leadership and service, particularly his time learning from Dr. Darrell Millner. “I truly loved learning from Dr. Darrell Millner,” Mike says. “After taking several of his classes, I felt a strong connection to conversations around equal justice and economic empowerment.”

For nearly three decades, that inspiration has aligned closely with LegalShield’s mission of helping people access quality legal advice and identity protection, services Mike believes are essential to a healthy, equitable society.

Mike also credits PSU’s business communication and marketing courses with leading him to his first job and, ultimately, to a fulfilling career as an independent professional working with a multibillion-dollar company. “Just as important,” he says, “the professors and people at Portland State helped me believe that building my own business was possible.”

Family, Community, and Viking Pride

Family has always been central to Mike’s life. After moving to Wilsonville in 1998, he began coaching youth basketball in 2009 for his youngest daughter, Emilia. She is now in her fifth year of college basketball as a graduate student. Mike admits he once hoped she would play for PSU, she was even offered a scholarship, but she ultimately chose a different path, joking that she didn’t want to attend the same school as her dad. Emilia is now completing her MBA at Corban University after earning her bachelor’s degree and playing basketball at Seattle Pacific.

Mike beams just as proudly when talking about his other children. His middle daughter rowed competitively for five years at Oregon State University, completed her MBA there, and later earned a second master’s degree from Oxford Brookes University in the United Kingdom. His oldest son followed directly in Mike’s footsteps, earning his bachelor’s degree from Portland State University. He is currently involved in youth support programs and, in Mike’s words, is an excellent singer, songwriter, and musician. He gives most of the credit for his kids' accomplishments to them and his wife, Dr. Laura LaJoie Bishop, 30 years in practice at Joy of Life Chiropractic, Wilsonville.

Beyond family and career, one fun fact surprises many people: Mike also enjoys charity auctioneering and has helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for nonprofit causes over the past 12 years.

He remains connected to the PSU community, regularly reading PSU Magazine, attending Viking football games and women’s basketball games, and proudly sharing the Park Blocks and campus with visitors from out of town. “Everyone can be proud to have attended PSU, that alone can open doors and create meaningful connections,” Mike says. When life feels especially busy, he reminds himself of how far he has come: being the first in his family to attend college and graduating from one of the top business schools in the country.

“I hope every PSU student and alum believes in themselves and lives up to their greatest potential,” he says. “I’m proud to be a Viking.”