Michelle is the Chief People Officer at Children’s Mercy Hospital. She is a strategic leader and former practicing attorney who is deft at implementing best practice strategies to create, build and deliver meaningful, comprehensive and effective policies and practices to reflect and support an inclusive people and culture initiative. She is a nationally renowned presenter and author and has received numerous awards for her many professional contributions.

In 2025, she was one of two attorneys to receive the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association’s Barron of the Boardroom Award for her civic contributions to the Kansas City legal community. In 2024, she was one of fifteen women nationwide to receive the Women Transforming Business Award in the area of Community Impact by CBIZ. She was also recognized by Becker’s Hospital Review as one of the Top Black Healthcare Leaders to Know. She received the Diversity and Flexibility Alliance’s Culture Catalyst Award which recognizes an exceptional Talent, Diversity or Human Resources professional who has led a significant effort to transform their organizational culture and embrace innovation, inclusion, and/or flexibility. She also received the Mid-America LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce’s Ally of the Year Award.

In 2023, her alma mater, Tulane Law School, presented her with its inaugural Deans Kramer & Clayton Award for Leadership in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. She was also recognized by Becker’s Healthcare as one of the Top Chief Diversity Officers in Healthcare to Know in 2023. In 2021, the Kansas City Business Journal recognized her as one of 25 local “Women Who Mean Business.” In 2020, she was awarded the Sly James Diversity and Inclusion Award given to members of the Kansas City area legal community for their contributions to diversity and inclusion in the legal profession. In 2018, she received Missouri Lawyer Media’s inaugural diversity and inclusion award honoring 20 state-wide individuals and organizations “for significantly advancing diversity, inclusion and dignity of all people in Missouri’s legal profession.”area