Michele has three children – Mark is a medical student, Missy is a physician assistant, and Mary Ann is a future veterinarian.
Job:
Michele is a nutrition specialist and researcher at Shriners Hospital for Children and a professor at the University of Cincinnati.
Community:
Evendale, where Michele has lived for 27 years.
Interesting Fact:
Michele has a PhD in human nutrition. She is a highly regarded researcher who has authored or co-authored more than 100 articles in scientific journals, and been awarded many honors by medical organizations, including the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, and the American Burns Association.
Making a Difference With WeTHRIVE!:
- A True Ambassador: Michele has been an active member of the Evendale WeTHRIVE! team since it began in 2013. She is trained as a WeTHRIVE! Ambassador and led Evendale Village Council to adopt the WeTHRIVE! Wellness Resolution in 2013 and the WeTHRIVE! Overall Resolution in 2014.
- Founding Member of Connecting Active Communities Coalition (CACC): As Evendale Recreation Commissioner (a volunteer position), Michele met leaders from Blue Ash, Reading, Glendale, and Sharonville at a 2009 conference on making communities bike-friendly. The group continued to meet and became the CACC, whose mission is to encourage health and safety on a regional scale through bicycle and pedestrian transportation plans, projects, programs, and policies. CACC now consists of representatives from Arlington Heights, Blue Ash, Evendale, Glendale, Lincoln Heights, Lockland, Montgomery, Reading, Sharonville, Woodlawn, and Wyoming. These communities did not work together before CACC was established.
- Mill Creek Collaborative: Michele helped form the Mill Creek Collaborative, a subcommittee of CACC involving a partnership between Evendale, Reading, Sharonville, Great Parks of Hamilton County, and the Mill Creek Watershed Council of Communities. In 2017, Michele worked tirelessly to obtain a signed Memorandum of Understanding from each partner to plan for, construct, and maintain the Mill Creek Trail & Greenway, also known as the “Triangle Trail.” Read more about this in our recent blog post.
- Award-Winning Master Plan: Michele co-authored Evendale’s Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan, which won the Frank F. Ferris Planning Award from Hamilton County Planning + Development in 2015. The master plan resulted in the creation of bike “sharrows” and crosswalks, spurred a Safe Routes to School collaboration, and is vital to Michele’s goal of obtaining funding to build Evendale’s section of the Mill Creek Trail & Greenway.
- Safe Routes to School (SRTS): As a member of the Princeton City Schools SRTS team, Michele collaborated with leaders from Evendale, Lincoln Heights, Sharonville, Woodlawn, Princeton City Schools, Hamilton County Public Health, and Hamilton County Planning + Development. The team is submitting grant applications for funding to provide safe sidewalks, crossing guards, and signage around the district’s elementary schools.
- Community Accolades: Michele was honored as a WeTHRIVE! Community Champion in 2016. She also received the Evendale Chamber of Commerce and Village of Evendale Outstanding Service Award in 2016.
In Her Own Words:
“I’ve seen changes in Evendale that would never have been made without WeTHRIVE!, such as the Safe Routes to School program and healthy snacks for sale at the pool. WeTHRIVE! is instrumental in letting us know about grants, and all the webinars and meetings help us learn and interact with other communities. These resources have made a huge difference.”
“I’m making the world a better place for my kids, my kids’ kids, and my community.”