A 30-year veteran of education, Michel currently serves as an assistant professor and executive director of The Educational Leadership Institute on the campus of Kansas State University. Prior to that, she was director of Teacher Licensure and Accreditation with the Kansas State Department of Education. Before that, she served as superintendent of schools for the USD 380 Vermillion Board of Education and assistant superintendent for secondary education for USD 443 Dodge City. She is licensed as an elementary teacher, with endorsements in English as a second language, reading specialist, building leadership and district leadership. Further, she holds a Doctor of Education in educational leadership from Kansas State University where her dissertation research focused on leadership through the pandemic.