Michele is the Director of Education and Partnerships at Second Nature, where she focuses on financing sustainability initiatives in higher education by working with colleges and universities, as well as with partner organizations and other stakeholders. Prior to coming on board at Second Nature, she was Director, Environmental Leadership at the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO), where she was responsible for the association's portfolio of sustainability programs, products, and services.
In her role as liaison to the association's Sustainability Advisory Panel, she elevated the issue of sustainability for NACUBO members by incorporating a variety of sustainability topics in the monthly Business Officer magazine; including a sustainability track in every annual meeting; presenting on the topic to the Board of Directors; educating meeting planning staff about adopting green meeting policies; and challenging NACUBO to become an association leader in sustainability. Under her guidance, NACUBO has published several sustainability books, including the joint Second Nature/NACUBO "Financing Sustainability on Campus." Working collaboratively with other higher education associations, she established, designed, and developed program content for the annual Smart and Sustainable Campuses Conference. Under her direction, NACUBO was awarded a federal cooperative assistance agreement through the EPA to create and maintain the Campus Environmental Resource Center, an online resource that provides individuals and educational institutions the knowledge and tools needed to maintain environmental regulatory compliance, improve facilities management, and promote sustainability.
In her twelve year career at NACUBO, she worked on a wide variety of issues impacting colleges and universities. For example, in her prior role as senior policy analyst, she directed a project on the cost of college and developed quarterly newsletter focusing on the strategic human resource issues for colleges and universities.
Michele graduated from Miami University with a B.A. in English Literature and Art History. She studied abroad at the John E. Dolobois European Center in Luxembourg and she received her M.A., Education Policy (Education Policy, Planning, and Administration) from the University of Maryland, College Park.