Michelle's Story: Service, Resilience, and Community

Michelle’s story begins in Jamaica, where she spent her early childhood before joining her mother in Brooklyn a decade after she immigrated to the United States. Those first months in New York were brief but defining — a moment of learning to adapt quickly, navigate unfamiliar systems, and begin building a new life from the ground up. When her mother married a service member, Michelle’s world expanded again. As a military child and later a military spouse, she lived in communities across the country, gaining a deep appreciation for service, resilience, and the importance of strong, connected neighborhoods. That journey eventually brought her to Fort Lewis and, later, to Lacey.

When her first marriage ended, Michelle made a deliberate choice about where to raise her three children. Research pointed her to Lacey as a safe, healthy, opportunity-rich community, and she built a new foundation there as a single mother. She worked as a vocational instructor at a business school and later in IT support at a manufacturing company — roles that strengthened her commitment to education, workforce development, and helping people gain the skills they need to succeed. Along the way, she earned a BS in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting and an MS in Computer Information Systems Management, grounding her leadership in both analytical and systems-level thinking.

Michelle’s connection to North Thurston Public Schools spans generations. Her children attended North Thurston schools, as did her husband’s children, and now two of her five grandchildren are students in the district, with another beginning this year. That multigenerational experience shapes her understanding of what strong schools mean for families and for the future of the community.

For the past 16 years, Michelle has worked at a local non-profit, where she currently serves as an operations director, overseeing budgets, staff, programs, and organizational systems. Her work has deepened her belief in transparency, equity, and community-centered leadership. She also serves as a North Thurston School Board Director and participates in several boards and committees, including The PARC Foundation, FESS, CAC, the City of Lacey Parks Advisory Committee, and the Thurston County Racial Equity and Inclusion Committee. She is an active member of Rotary and a frequent volunteer across the community. And in a lighter but meaningful part of her life, she is an enthusiastic amateur thespian, reflecting her belief that creativity and connection are essential parts of a thriving community.

Across every chapter of her life — immigrant, military family member, single mother, educator, technologist, nonprofit leader, board director, and community volunteer — Michelle has built a reputation for showing up, listening deeply, and working collaboratively. Her lived experience and longstanding commitment to service continue to shape her work on behalf of the community she calls home.