Most recently, Michele served as Chief of Schools for Boston Public Schools, where she led a team of eight Instructional Superintendents focused on eliminating the opportunity and achievement gaps in the system. Based on Fullan’s “Right Drivers,” BPS designed a school support structure grounded in a system of teams that focused on group capacity building of school and teacher leaders. Michele and her team developed a coherent system of professional learning in the district, creating a culture of collaboration and thought partnership and ensuring better support for school leaders, whom she believes are the lead drivers of instructional improvement.
Michele has been a teacher, school social worker, assistant principal, and principal in the New York City Department of Education. She also led the leadership development and evaluation team in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Michele is a proud graduate of NYCLA’s Aspiring Principals Program and has served as a Mentor Principal and New School Leader Coach. “Michele knows first-hand that leaders build leaders—high-quality, continuous, and job-embedded capacity building drives the work forward,” says Nancy Gutierrez, NYCLA Chief Strategy Officer. “We are confident that educational leaders across the country will benefit from Michele’s experience and keen insights about what it means to match strategy to practice.”
A product of New York City public schools, Michele graduated from John Adams High School in Ozone Park, NY. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology from Baruch College, a Master of Social Work from Hunter College, School District Leadership certification from Queens College and a Doctorate in Education Leadership (Ed.L.D.) from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.