About Michele

My earliest memories are joining my Dad — a U.S. Army veteran, journalist, labor union leader, and nonprofit leader — at labor union picnics and political rallies. I was the kid standing on a chair on election night writing vote count updates on the blackboard. Public service has always been part of who I am.

My civic engagement journey has included service on a county Board of Zoning Appeals, campaign manager roles in nonpartisan political campaigns, statewide campaign work, and eight years on the Board of Directors of Congressman Elijah Cummings Youth Program — two of those years as Board Chair.

Born, raised, and educated in Maryland, my Eastern Shore story began when I met my husband Paul, who was born and raised here and whose family roots on the lower shore date back to the early 1600s. Paul and I have been married 40 years and have two adult children — a son and a recently married daughter — both of whom live and work on the western shore. We make our home in beautiful Talbot County, between Easton and Trappe.

Paul and I were both first-generation college graduates. I graduated from the University of Maryland, then paid my way through a Master's in Planning at the University of Virginia — attending evening classes for four years while working full time.

Professionally, I served twenty years in nonprofit leadership — as Executive Director of a community leadership program and as Vice President of a statewide nonprofit helping low-income Maryland students access higher education and career training. I also served eight years in the Federal Highway Administration and, since 2023, in state government.