Michele has spent most of her career in the public sector promoting Canada as a meeting and vacation destination. She worked her way up to be the CEO of a provincial crown corporation and now heads a regional tourism organisation.     

She has lived in several cities in both Canada and the US and her work has included travel that has enabled her to see much of the world.   

Michele has always been an animal lover and she found the plight of street animals and strays particularly disturbing. She has always made a point of donating to animal charities, but she wanted to do more.    

Unable to adopt a dog due to her travel lifestyle, she adopted a feisty feline from a rescue organisation in Vancouver. So inspired by the people she met there, she volunteered to assist with their fundraising efforts and was able to leverage her sales, marketing and communication skills to ensure their annual "Walk for the Kitties" was a success.    

It was because of her acquaintance with President, Lisa Wagner, that Michele first became involved with Soi Dog Canada in 2019. Since then, she has assisted with fundraising, adoptions and media relations, and is very honoured to now serve on the board of directors.