Michelle graduated with a BA in Psychology from Tufts University. After a respite from studies to work in advertising and finance, she returned to academia to earn a PhD in Neurobiology & Behavior from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. She went on to conduct postdoctoral studies in the molecular biology of hearing at The Rockefeller University, then moved to Hanover, NH to raise her two sons. Before joining CTBH, Michelle provided administrative support to the department of Compensation.