Transformational Leadership Impact

Throughout her distinguished career, Michelle has demonstrated expertise in:

• Transformative Coaching and Leadership Development: Designing and delivering strategic coaching frameworks that enhance decision-making, leadership efficacy, and organizational resilience, with documented improvements in leadership perception and sustained professional growth across diverse organizational contexts.

• Social and Emotional Learning Systems Integration: Leading comprehensive implementation of social-emotional skill development programs that integrate into organizational practices, resulting in improved climate, culture, and employee well-being at both individual and systemic levels.

• Large-Scale Professional Development Design and Delivery: Creating and facilitating innovative learning experiences that reach thousands of professionals annually, including virtual and in-person formats that maintain high engagement and measurable outcomes across global audiences.

• Organizational Change Management and Culture Development: Directing climate and culture improvement initiatives that leverage data-driven insights to identify trends, inform strategic decision-making, and measure progress in workforce engagement and organizational performance.

• Strategic Systems Design and Implementation: Developing comprehensive frameworks for organizational excellence that foster inclusive environments, enhance team dynamics, and create sustainable improvements in both student and staff outcomes.

• Human-Centered Innovation and Resilience Building: Implementing trauma-informed practices and emotional intelligence strategies that build organizational resilience and create positive, supportive environments for learning and growth across diverse populations.

 

Current Role

Michelle serves as Founder and CEO of Believe Learning, a specialized learning and development consultancy that empowers professionals to achieve measurable growth in leadership capabilities, team dynamics, and organizational outcomes. In this capacity, she partners with leaders across educational and corporate sectors to design and deliver strategic coaching and professional learning that creates consistent, sustained improvements in leadership efficacy and organizational resilience. Her consultancy specializes in developing data-driven coaching frameworks and innovative learning experiences that have reached over 800 professionals through more than 50 hours of targeted learning sessions focused on leadership development, trauma-informed practices, and emotional intelligence integration. Michelle's approach combines evidence-based methodologies with practical application, ensuring that organizational investments in professional development yield tangible, sustainable results.

 

Summary of Prior Experience

With a distinguished career rooted in exemplary classroom practice and teacher leadership, Michelle has become a recognized systems-level leader in social-emotional learning (SEAL). As Coordinator of Student Services for Centennial School District, she spearheaded district-wide strategic planning and implementation of SEAL initiatives, using data to drive climate and culture improvements. Her leadership extends to a global scale from her tenure as Director of Consulting and Certification at the Center for Responsive Schools, where she managed a large team of consultants, oversaw the delivery of over 3,000 professional development days annually, and successfully transitioned all programs to virtual formats during the pandemic while maintaining revenue and client satisfaction. An award-winning educator, including being named a Teacher of the Year Finalist, her expertise in differentiated instruction and inclusive practices has been filmed for international workshops. As a Social & Emotional Learning Fellow with CASEL and a board member for the Upper Dublin Education Foundation, she continues to advance the field through research, policy advocacy, and community-level support for educational innovation.

 

Credentials and Professional Development

• Social & Emotional Intelligence Coaching Certificate (Institute for Social & Emotional Learning)

• Level II Teaching Certificate, Elementary Education (Commonwealth of Pennsylvania)

• Coaching for Change Certification (University of Virginia's Curry Leadership Academy)

• Master of Science in Elementary Education (Saint Joseph's University)

• Bachelor of Science in Psychology (University of Delaware)

• CPI Facilitator Certification (Crisis Prevention Institute's Nonviolent Crisis Intervention Program)