With 25 years of experience teaching English in Virginia, Michelle has built a career empowering students to think, communicate clearly, and engage as educated citizens. A 2014 William E. Waters Teacher of the Year and Portsmouth City Public Schools finalist for Teacher of the Year, Michelle has repeatedly sought to amplify student voices. Her service as a Retro Report Teacher Ambassador, iCivics Ambassador, and 2024–25 Constitution Center Teacher Advisory Committee member demonstrates her dedication to civic literacy and applied learning. Being a Teacher Ambassador with Founding Forward would enable Michelle to bridge her students’ learning to the wider discourse of freedom, democracy, and civic duty—empowering them to understand, engage, and influence the world with knowledge, compassion, and purpose. For her students, this duty entails access to resources and perspectives that make civics come alive outside the classroom door.
