Michael Champion is a research and development specialist at Software AG, working out of Ann Arbor, Michigan. He graduated from the University of Michigan and did graduate study specializing in data analysis and computer simulation of international conflict. He has been a software developer in the USA for 20 years, working primarily in the area of middleware for client-server document and image management systems. He has been active in the World Wide Consortium's Document Object Model (DOM) Working Group for more than three years and was an editor of the core XML portion of the DOM Level 1 Recommendation. He is now co-chair of the Web Services Architecture Working Group. Champion joined Software AG in early 1999 and now works in the Technology Enablement group, focusing on technical business development activities, writing articles on XML technology, and building example integrations between XML applications and Software AG's database and enterprise integration products. He serves as co-chair of the W3C Web Services Architecture working group and continues to be active in the W3C DOM working group as well as the W3C XML Protocols working group.