Michelle is responsible for leading the legal, compliance, and human resources functions for Life & Specialty Ventures and its family of companies, advising senior management and the boards of directors.
Michelle recently sat down with NP’s Chief Talent Officer Stacie Collier to discuss her trailblazing career, inspirational journey, and words of wisdom for up-and-coming attorneys from underrepresented communities.
Tell us a bit about your origin story. How has your upbringing has influenced your work ethic, your drive, and what you do?
I decided that I wanted to be a lawyer when I was 13, in large part because my dad was into politics. He was a legislative assistant for our congressman and introduced me to government and the importance of the law. Although I had no idea what it meant to be a lawyer, I just knew I needed to know my rights, and I needed people around me to know their rights, because a lot of them did not.
My father did not mince words. He said, “You were born with 2 strikes against you. You’re Black and you’re female. But that’s not an excuse not to do things. You just gotta do it better.”
You went to an Historically Black College and University (HBCU). Tell us about that.
I went to one of the oldest historically Black colleges in the country, Hampton University. I met and fell in love with my husband there and now my twin sons are enrolled there. Our most illustrious alumnus is Booker T. Washington, who got his degree from Hampton and later founded Tuskegee University. I grew up in Connecticut and went to undergrad in Virginia, which was a little bit of a culture shock. I was either the only Black person or one of a handful of Black people in my elementary and high school classes so it was fascinating and wonderful to go to an HBCU. While there was a ton of diversity among the students: different regions of the county, different socio-economic backgrounds, etc. we all were learning from a common perspective and from a shared history. When I left Hampton and went to law school at The University of Texas at Austin, I was back to being one of just a handful of people of color in my class. It wasn’t a different situation but I was different and better equipped to handle all that would come my way thanks to the 4 years I had spent at Hampton. I carry that with me to this day and am so happy and proud that my sons are getting the same experience.
Your dad said you had two strikes against you because you are Black and a woman. Can you describe the challenges you faced and how you navigated them?
Where do I start? There were several different experiences in law school and things continued when I began working in the legal profession. In my first job, I clerked with a judge who unabashedly told his women clerks that “we should get good state jobs because that would get us home at 4:30 pm to take care of our kids and our husbands.”
While I wouldn’t say I was following his advice, my next job did happen to be with a state agency, the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities. It was an interesting place because I got to learn employment law, which became my area of practice and passion, but I was also battling people who had the opposite view of what the standard of employee discrimination was. I was compelled to follow the law while often fighting assumptions others had about me and/or how I approached things. Some may have felt I should find a particular way as a woman and/or Black woman while other assumed I wouldn’t follow the law because I was a woman and Black woman. It was interesting indeed.
In the next stage of my career, I had a shared experience with NP’s Stacie Collier. We were two young lawyers at a large law firm who had a female managing partner who was impressive and accomplished a lot, but also held us unnecessarily to ridiculously higher standards than our male counterparts.
I have throughout my career been called names, subjected to dismissive and condescending comments from folks half as educated and/or competent simply because of my gender and/or my race. However, I have always let my confidence in myself, skills and understanding of the law be my weapon to silence the nonsense.
Who have been some of the most influential sponsors and mentors in your career, and what lessons did you draw from them?
I’ve had some great mentors. My former GC helped me to hone how to be strategic in responding to situations. She is still a mentor and friend to me today. She exposed me to C-suite executives and board directors and helped me in building business allies for my career advancement. So much of what she taught me I try to pass on to those I now mentor.
Another mentor was a vice president of human resources who was the first Black female I had seen at that level, and she was very helpful in my gaining my confidence in the new world of HR. She also carried herself in a way that I admired. I’d look at her and aspire to be what and where she was.
Many of my greatest mentors have been older white men, some in my field and some not but each instrumental in me becoming the executive I am today. I was able to have honest conversations with them and they were great at giving me advice on how to navigate waters. At times they saw me places I didn’t see myself.
What are you most proud of in your professional life? How has the definition of success changed for you over time?
I would say there are two things that I the am most proud of. The first is that I am proud of my own growth and the way I’ve stretched. I started out as an employment lawyer, and that’s probably where I thought I’d always be. But I took on challenges. I took on things that I would have never saw myself doing, which allowed me to expand professionally.
The second thing, is the ability to reach people. I have been incredibly blessed and feel it is my responsibility to give back and be a blessing to others. When people reach out to me, and I have the opportunity to help them on their own career path, that to me is my greatest success.
How would you characterize the importance of building diverse teams?
Business-savvy people understand the importance of a difference of opinion. Difference of thought. Difference of experience.
My CEO will say having different voices at the table, having people feel comfortable, being themselves in the workplace and feeling comfortable speaking up benefits the bottom line. Is it the right thing to do, yes. It is the smart thing to do, absolutely! Smart business people know diversity is good for the business.
If you are looking at the marketplace, the marketplace it is not homogeneous. You need to approach people where they are. The only way you are able to do that is being able to understand where they are with diverse perspectives.
I cannot, as a Black woman, say I know exactly the white male experience. In the same way, someone at my age can’t fully understand where my children are or their experiences today at their ages. Having a multitude of people representing different dimensions of diversity is imperative in reaching the widest swath of people.
It’s crazy to me the way society pushes back on it, because it’s so counterintuitive to moving everything along and forward.
What advice would you give to future generations of leaders hoping to elevate their careers?
Be yourself. Do not pretend, always be you. Genuineness comes through.
When I talk to people I often ask, “What table do you want be at?” Not “what position?” or “What title?” But “What table do you want to be at?” Once you determine that, you’ll figure out your path.
In evaluating my own experiences, I know I felt I could be a leader. Would I have ever thought I would be the head of human resources and legal? Absolutely not. But I allowed myself to be versatile to take on new challenges.
I tell people to be open to learning new things. Do not lock yourself out of chances before you even have an opportunity. So many people will look at something and say they cannot do it. Ask yourself, “How do you know?” You have to be your biggest advocate.
Someone once asked me, “How do you make sure you have a voice at the table? And how do you make sure you’re heard?” And I just remember saying, “I do not ever remember asking someone for permission to speak. If I have an idea or I have a thought, I’ll share it.” Eventually people start asking your thoughts and opinions.
Never be afraid to ask questions. But you also have to listen. So many people get into a situation and want to tell you what they know. That’s a mistake. Listen first. Then when you speak, people will seek you out.
