Michelle joined ACR in 2018 and oversees facilities along with the conservation science, education, and stewardship programs. Prior to working for ACR, Michelle managed the stewardship program for Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT), and represented MALT in local and regional organizations, activities and projects related to land stewardship and conservation planning. Michelle previously served as land steward at the University of California-Bodega Marine Reserve. She completed a bachelor's degree in botany from the University of Washington and a master's degree in biology from Sonoma State University (SSU). The focus of Michelle's work at SSU was on the role hikers and bikers play as dispersal mechanisms of phytophthora ramorum, the organism that causes Sudden Oak Death.