Michelle served as an officer in the Canadian Armed Forces from 1986 - 1989. She was in the Military Police Branch of the Air Force.

Despite an exemplary service record, Michelle was fired from the military in 1989 as part of the military’s “LGBT Purge”. 

She launched a landmark legal challenge against the military’s discriminatory policies and her lawsuit resulted in the ending of Canada’s formalized discriminatory policies against LGBT members of the military in 1992.

She has been an active part of the movement to seek legal equality for the LGBTQ+ community for the past 30 years.  

Michelle is currently leading a newly establish organization, known as the LGBT Purge Fund, that will administer a $15 - 25m fund that was established as part of the LGBT Purge Class Action lawsuit settlement. The Fund will support purge-related reconciliation and other measures.

Professionally, Michelle works as the Director of International Relations at the Canadian Department of Justice.

Michelle also maintains an active life as a volunteer. For more than a decade, Michelle has served as the Chair of the Board of Directors of WE Charity (formerly known as Free the Children). WE Charity is an international charity that empowers and inspires young people through domestic and international programs to create positive and transformative change in their lives and their communities.

Michelle is a graduate of Carleton University in Ottawa. She was recognized by Carleton University in 2017 as being one of the university’s “75 Distinguished Alumni”. Michelle was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012. She resides in Ottawa with her partner.