Michele is a Transformation Catalyst who advises on leadership, team, and organizational development, organizational transformation, and strategic communications. She launched her firm in 1995.
Michele is a Transformation Catalyst and strategic advisor on leadership and organizational and development. She is known for helping leaders around the world to unleash the collective minds, hearts, and imagination of their people to create inclusive cultures and the conditions that enable people, organizations, and the planet to flourish.
Her methodology helps leaders and their teams to engage their people in the creation of their highest shared vision, shared values, and strategic goals. Michele’s process also guides them to align their decision-making, culture, systems, and processes with their mission, vision, values, and goals. This collaborative, whole-systems approach engenders shared understanding, shared commitment, and shared ownership for collectively achieving their desired vision and results.
Michele launched her firm in 1995. Her customers have included leadership teams of IBM, Motorola, Popular Inc., (Banco Popular Puerto Rico, Banco Popular North America), SRA International, Bright China Management Institute, BHP, Australia, The Center for Digital Inclusion of Brazil, ABRH Brazil, Junior Enterprise Global, NASA, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. National Park Service, World Vision International, Episcopal Divinity School at Harvard, Secretary Richard Riley and the top 75 leaders of the United States Department of Education, and Arne Duncan and the leadership team of the Chicago Public Schools.
Popular Inc. and SRA International joined Fortune’s list of 100 Best Companies to Work For and sustained that honor for ten consecutive years.
Michele has also worked with the countries of Aruba and the Bahamas on their whole country transformation initiatives. While helping to guide the visioning process in Aruba, Michele partnered with Aruba’s Quality Foundation in the facilitation of a national shared vision for the country of Aruba: Aruba, 2005. This process helped to engage, mobilize, and energize the citizens in all sectors of their society in the creation of a shared vision for their country. Their seven-point vision guides the development of their people, communities, businesses, government, education, and their environmental policies and practices.
Michele had a very diverse background. In 1992, Michele served on President Bill Clinton’s Transition Team, and in 1993 she was appointed by President Clinton to serve as the Director of the Federal Quality Institute, a part of the Reinventing Government, a bipartisan initiative led by Vice President Al Gore. Michele brought the latest thinking and progressive leadership and management practices to this effort to work alongside the Cabinet Deputy Secretaries and their leadership teams. She created public-private partnerships with world-recognized thought leaders, including Peter Drucker, John Gardner, Max De Pree, Frances Hesselbein, Peter Senge, and the participation of high performance, vision-led, and values-based corporations including Herman Miller and GE.
Prior to this appointment, Michele spent 13 years with Herman Miller, a Fortune 500 global office furniture company. She served on the executive leadership team as Corporate Vice President For People, reporting to Max De Pree, CEO, and Chairman. She was responsible for global Leadership Development, “Human Resources,” Quality Management, Learning and Development, Corporate Communications, and Change Management. In this capacity, she facilitated the company’s whole company transformation. This transformation resulted in Herman Miller becoming: Fortune Magazine’s Most Admired Company, Fortune’s Top 10 “Best Companies in America to Work For,” and Best Products by Business Week. The company also was recognized as the Most Environmentally Responsible Company, the Best Company for Women, and the Best Company for Working Mothers. Herman Miller also received the prestigious Bertelsmann Award as the Best Managed Companies in the World.
During her 13 years with the company, Michele also served as Director of Corporate Relations, including government, media, shareholder, and community relations.
Michele began her career with the Michigan Department of Corrections as one of the first two female probation officers to supervise adult male felons on probation in Detroit, Michigan. She served as Director of Michigan’s only halfway House for female inmates and later became Michigan’s first female Deputy Warden, leading programs for rehabilitation in an adult male prison.
Michele previously served on the board of directors of two public companies: Service Master Company and Hewitt Associates. She was a founding board member of the Society for Organizational Learning, founded by Peter Senge. She also served on the boards of directors of the Union Institute and University, Grand Rapids Symphony, Holland Community Hospital, and Women in Transition.
Michele earned her Bachelor's and Master’s degrees in sociology from Eastern Michigan University and the University of Detroit, respectively.
