Dr. Michael Doran was an Irishman proud of his Irish heritage and culture but he also deeply loved his adopted homeland. The son of Elsie and Jack Doran, he and his brother Ciaran grew up in Reading, England. Inspired by an encouraging Headmaster at Battle Secondary School, Dr. Doran determined early on that education would be his life's mission. In 1974 he graduated from the University of Southampton with a degree in Education. He played soccer throughout his youth and during college. He met his future wife, Kathy Lavinder, while on holiday on Cape Cod, and moved to the United States to be with her and begin his career as an educator. Dr. Doran taught in Cambridge and Brookline, Massachusetts and he was an Assistant Soccer Coach at Boston College.

In 1982 Dr. Doran and his wife moved to New York City where he taught at the Anglo-American School and later served as Headmaster of St. Hilda's & St. Hugh's Upper School in Manhattan. During this period he completed the New York Marathon (in 3 hours and 17 minutes!) and earned a Doctorate in Education from Columbia University. The couple's children, Samuel and Emma, were born in New York City.

After moving to Maryland in 1987, Dr. Doran was a principal in Fairfax County and at Pyle Middle School in Bethesda. He became the Principal of Thomas Wootton High School in 2003. Always committed to developing future educators, Dr. Doran served as an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University and George Washington University. He enjoyed mentoring and was proud of his many protegees who became principals in Montgomery County Public Schools and elsewhere.

In his spare time, Dr. Doran coached Emma's CYO, MSI and travel soccer teams which were comprised of many of the same girls for 12 years. He was an avid life-long Manchester United fan who rarely missed a game and he played recreational soccer well into his 50s. He taught Sunday School at St. Francis Episcopal Church in Potomac for 14 years and also served as a lay reader.