Michelle joined NOAA’s Restoration Center (Office of Habitat Conservation – OHC) in 2019 after a decade working on the ocean in the marine construction industry. She received her undergraduate degree in Supply Chain Management from Michigan State University and her Master’s Degree in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation from Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

Michelle’s work focuses on providing technical assistance for the development, implementation, and management of coral restoration projects in the Caribbean. She also serves as a coordinator for the Coral Restoration Consortium (CRC). Michelle supports OHC’s collaboration with NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries in Mission: Iconic Reefs through direct support of program areas that cover the development and implementation of restoration methodology, tracking, and communication of progress.

“You cannot solve an environmental problem while ignoring its social context” – unknown