Mike Calimbas
Founder & Executive Director, Groundwork Foundation
Mike Calimbas is the Founder and Executive Director of the Groundwork Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating direct, measurable impact for underserved youth and communities through education, athletics, and global outreach. His leadership blends mission-driven purpose with professional structure, accountability, and long-term vision.
Mike brings more than a decade of experience across healthcare, business development, and talent acquisition. He has held senior roles with both startups and Fortune 500 organizations including Byram Healthcare and ABM Industries, where he managed complex territories, built institutional partnerships, and consistently exceeded performance benchmarks. His background in regulated healthcare environments shaped his commitment to stewardship, transparency, and results-based execution.
In parallel with his corporate career, Mike is widely recognized as one of the most experienced and prolific media professionals in the sport of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. As a photographer, editor, and writer, he has documented the growth of the sport at nearly every level—working with premier organizations such as IBJJF, ADCC, Fight to Win, AGF, FIVE Grappling, and countless national and regional promotions. His work has helped elevate athletes, academies, and events by providing professional-grade exposure in a rapidly evolving sport.
Earlier in his career, Mike served as Chief Editor with TXMMA.com, where he played a key role in helping fighters and promotions gain visibility during the formative years of the regional MMA and grappling scene. His work has been internationally published through Jiu-Jitsu Magazine, GracieMag, and numerous other publications both in the United States and abroad, contributing to the global storytelling and documentation of the sport.
In addition to his media work, Mike is a second-degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, lifelong martial artist, and one of the head instructors at Renzo Gracie Lake Houston. Through decades of training, teaching, competing, and documenting the sport, he witnessed firsthand how access to mentorship, structure, and opportunity can fundamentally change a young person’s life. These experiences ultimately became the catalyst for founding Groundwork Foundation.
Together with Co-Founder Alexa Yanes, Mike built Groundwork Foundation with a shared vision: to meet communities where they are, partner locally, and deliver meaningful support that creates lasting opportunity rather than short-term aid. Under their leadership, the Foundation executes hands-on mission trips, instructional seminars, and community-based initiatives both locally and internationally.
Mike continues to lead Groundwork Foundation with a focus on integrity, measurable outcomes, and collaboration—believing that real change happens when passion is paired with structure, and service is treated with the same professionalism as any world-class organization.
