Michele has spent more than 15 years navigating the mental health system as a family member. A strong advocate and speaker for mental health, she champions peer support and the is the originator of Shine Out! Shout Out!, a community group that raises funds and awareness for youth mental health, specifically the Just Be You peer-to-peer mental health support group for youth ages 15-25, which she founded.
Michele is the Co-Chair for the Community Advisory Committee on Mental Health at Halton Healthcare (Oakville), Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for CMHA-Halton, and Past Chair of the Board for Parents for Children’s Mental Health Ontario. She is a member of the Just Be You advisory committee, the Mental Health Leadership Team at HCDSB, member of the Working Committee on Case Management and Mental Health for the Mississauga-Halton LHIN, Member of the Steering Committee for Project Zero with Trillium Health Partners, the parent lead for the Family Members Committee and an Ambassador for Children’s Mental Health Ontario.
She is also a mental health speaker/presenter for United Way Hamilton-Halton, and a member of the Stewardship Group for the Centre for Innovation in Peer Support.
Michele provides peer support to families of youth with mental illness, and is trained in Family Engagement, Mental Health First Aid and ASIST.
Michele is a Partner at Innovative HR where she often brings her mental health knowledge into her business, a CMHA Certified Psychological Health and Safety Advisor, and in her spare time plays hockey twice a week as part of her self-care regime.
In 2014, Michele was awarded the provincial Leading Women, Building Communities award for outstanding work in her community and the province in the area of mental health, the Marlene Longdon Award by CMHA-Halton for Shine Out! Shout Out! for significant contribution to the advancement of mental health in the community, the President’s Award by Support and Housing Halton for her contributions in mental health, and in 2017 she was presented with the Sesquicentennial Award by the Government of Canada.
Find Michele on Twitter at @HRisInnovative or @ShineShout, or online at shineshout.com or innovativehrpartners.com