For 17 years Michele has worked at Ft. Custer Training Center, and her most current program management includes natural resources, wildland fire and climate adaptation for Michigan Army National Guard. She holds a Bachelors Degree in Earth Science and Environmental Studies from Western Michigan University earned in 1998, and a Master’s in Environmental Policy from University of Massachusetts -Dartmouth.

With a passion for her work, Michele has served broadly in organizations relevant to the maintaining the military mission through responsible environmental stewardship. She has served/is serving as chair, secretary and outreach coordinator for the Michigan Prescribed Fire Council, as Deputy chair on the Army National Guard Environmental Advisory Council’s Conservation Committee as well as the chair of that Committee’s Wildland Fire Working Group, and participates in the Michigan Climate Coalition, The Joint Fire Sciences Program’s  Lake States and Tallgrass Prairie Consortiums and Michigan Invasive Species Coalition. From very local concerns, to national issues, Michele stays connected and provides valuable interconnectedness between the groups and people who depend on them for information, decision support, and research. Networks and relationships make the world go round, and her work demonstrates award-winning capacities in these fields.