Description
Michelle is a Director of Finance for Optum in their Behavioral Health Division. Michelle loves her job because every day she is working towards making sure that everyone who needs help with a SMI or a SUD can get the help they need. People do not realize that many people don’t know where to start to get help and when they do find it, they cannot get in for months to see someone. Our goal is to make sure everyone who needs help can get it right away.
Michelle is also the team leader for her platform called “Laura’s Leukemia” which helps to make awareness of Adult Leukemia and raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society. Michelle created this platform back in 2017 when her mom, Laura, was diagnosed with AML leukemia. She wanted to make sure that her mom’s story was shared to encourage others to get checked yearly for cancer and help raise money in hope that one day a cure will be found. Michelle’s mom was able to beat cancer after going through multiple rounds or chemo and eventually getting a bone marrow transplant.
Michelle and her husband Dennis got married in August of 2021 and live in Eureka, MO. They have a 6-month-old daughter named Emma who is their entire world. In their free time they enjoy taking Emma on walks, going to coffee shops, and getting all the nieces and nephews together to play/grow up together.
As a titleholder Michelle would embrace getting to be a voice for the Mrs. America philanthropy Victoria’s Voice which raises awareness of drug overdose and substance abuse. This foundation was created by the Mrs. Missouri America directors David and Jackie Siegel who lost their amazing daughter Victoria on June 6 th , 2015 to drug overdose.