Like many at CU Strategic Planning, Michele was born into credit unions: her mother was the CFO of the Oregon Credit Union League. She brings to her role as Community Development Manager 31 years of credit union experience and a wealth of knowledge developing new products, policies, lending processes, and partnerships.

She truly embodies the philosophy of “people helping people” and says of her work at CU Strategic Planning, “I feel like I’m living in the Credit Union Development Educator (DE) program just working here.”

In her prior role as a Vice President at Clackamas Community FCU and as Operations Manager at Ironworkers USA CU, a CDFI, Michele worked as a leader to integrate the power of community development into changing people’s lives.

Michele puts community development commitment into action in her personal life as the President of the Board of Directors of the non-profit Clackamas Service Center, a one-stop resource that provides food relief and resources to improve health, dignity, and stability for families and individuals in need.

She is a Credit Union Development Educator and graduate of Western CUNA Management School, CUNA Sales and Service Program, and Rex Johnson School of Lending. She has her BA from Warner Pacific College where she graduated with honors.

With two curious kitties and a husband that works in credit unions, Michele’s also a proud mother of two stepchildren that she’s raised from 13 months and 4 years old into high school and college.