Living every day with purpose and conviction, Michelle is a leader dedicated to the idea of “Lifting as we climb.” Michelle says that “There’s no reason to strive to be the best at something, if the thing you’re the best at is only going to benefit you.” She believes that leaders must constantly strive to make space for those willing to put in the work to come along with or follow them. Michelle is passionate about ensuring that women, children and families have the tools they need to be successful. A product of the foster care system and a teen mom, Michelle persevered through the tough times and came out on the other side of struggle even more passionate about protecting children and helping young women learn self-confidence and ignore the negative statistics, so that they can succeed against the odds.

Through professional and community service, Michelle continues to turn her passions into actions. Having served the community in many forms from mentoring young women that age out of the foster care system, to delivering hot meals to the elderly, to non-profit board service, Michelle is a servant at heart. With 20-plus years of accounting and grants management experience, Michelle is excited and honored to serve the WomELLE community.

Michelle earned a MBA and a BBA from Davenport University, is a Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM) and holds certificates designated for grants management professionals. She has worked in industry, state government and is currently in a leadership role at a public university.