About Me

Michelle is a special education leader who helps school systems build inclusive, high-quality programs that strengthen compliance while improving outcomes for students with disabilities. With more than 15 years of cross-sector experience, she brings a unique blend of strategic leadership, systems thinking, and technical expertise to schools navigating complex special education challenges. Her work reflects a longstanding commitment to improving outcomes for students with disabilities, including those navigating foster care, institutional placements, and nonpublic school settings. Michelle holds a Master of Education in Special Education from Arizona State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Georgetown University.

 

As Founder and Principal Consultant of IncludED Consulting, LLC, Michelle partners with school and district leaders to design stronger special education systems that align regulatory compliance with high-quality, inclusive service delivery. She believes compliance should serve as a foundation—not a barrier—to equitable educational opportunities for students with disabilities. Her consulting work includes conducting systems reviews, leading compliance improvement efforts, supporting students in complex placements, advising leadership teams, and providing expert guidance in due process matters. She also coaches school leaders and special education teams to strengthen inclusive practices, build sustainable systems, use data to drive decision-making, and implement culturally responsive supports that improve outcomes for all learners.

 

Michelle's leadership experience includes more than a decade at DC Prep, a leading public charter school network in Washington, D.C., where she served in progressively senior leadership roles including Director of Special Populations and Senior Director of Student Support. She oversaw special education, Section 504, multilingual learner, and homeless student programming across multiple campuses while leading teams of Special Education Coordinators and supporting students in nonpublic placements. As the network's lead for federal and state reporting, she ensured strong compliance while developing systems that supported consistent, high-quality implementation across schools. She also designed and led system-wide professional learning and technical assistance that strengthened leadership capacity and promoted equitable access to services for all students.

 

Michelle believes that when leaders put children first, schools become more inclusive, more effective, and better equipped to help every student thrive. This philosophy is at the heart of her person-first leadership coaching. Through her work, she helps education leaders build the systems, practices, and leadership capacity needed to sustain meaningful inclusion and high-quality special education over time.