Michener has been professor at the FGV since 2012 where he began work on creating the Public Transparency Program in 2013. During the course of his Ph.D., which focused on explaining the relative strength of freedom of information (FOI) laws throughout Latin America, Michener played a role in the Brazilian movement for the creation of a national FOI law. At the same time, he helped the Commercial Association of Rio de Janeiro raise awareness and support for a tax transparency law.