What you do and
how you do it matters.
I want to support you in getting it done.
Your work isn’t just a way to make a living.
When you’re in any kind of social-change role, your job is an expression of who you are and what you care about.
But when you’re a leader on a mission, and you feel unable to do your best, both you and your mission suffer
The work I do as a strategic partner, meeting facilitator, and coach is intended to make your world-changing work easier and more effective.
Hi, I’m Michelle.
I work with leaders whose work makes the world a better place— one that’s more inclusive, more caring, and full of more opportunity for more people.
My clients tackle issues like helping young children learn to read, expanding community health care, creating affordable housing, improving in- and out-of-school-time experiences for high school students, supporting first-generation college-goers, and more.
When we work together, you’ll get the benefit of decades of personal and professional experience combined with the capacity to listen, to empathize, and to offer a few possibilities for your next steps.
Your situation may be unique, but you’re not alone.
Our work together will help you see new possibilities when you’re stuck, give you permission to dream a different future and act to make it true (even if just a little bit at a time!) and help you develop a sense of agency to make changes.
Let’s work together.
How I got here...
I’ve spent most of my career as an educator— in jobs I didn’t even know existed when I finished graduate school with plans to become a middle school reading teacher. Rather than spending my days in a single classroom, my work in and with organizations has allowed me to support and to learn with with hundreds of school leaders, teachers, education activists, and social innovators of all ages across the country.
I’m a trained meeting facilitator, certified coach, and experienced nonprofit leader with formal education in literacy development, nonprofit leadership, and organizational change. A relentless learner, I’m always expanding my knowledge and my network. (Ask me about the classes I’m taking, the regular meetings I’m attending, or what I’m reading, and I’ll always have a pretty thorough answer!)
FOR every proJect:I bring a blend of coaching, facilitation, and project management to all of my work.
I’m curious, collaborative, and service-oriented, and I’ll always go the extra mile to co-create a solution.
I connect the dots to quickly develop an understanding of your context and your expertise and to help you move your goals forward.
We’re all more than our resumes or our LinkedIn profiles.
If we get a chance to meet (even virtually!), here’s some of what you’ll learn:
I love walkable cities, strong coffee, great food, and people who care about making the world a better place for all.
My house is filled with bookshelves, my office is cluttered and colorful, and my blue Trek bike is my favorite way to get from here to there. If you walk by my front yard, you’ll see a social-justice sign or two alongside my Little Free Library.
When I'm not working or volunteering, you can find me baking gluten-free brownies, reading one of the books in the big pile next to my desk, tinkering with growing stuff in my garden, or taking a yoga class.
Yoga is a longtime practice for me; gardening is newer, and I learn from it during every season.
My partner and I met during our first year in college. After living in DC for almost 25 years, we moved to Portland, OR in 2010. A cross-country move in midlife is a big shift! The coaching and other change-oriented work I do with individuals and teams is deeply rooted in my own experiences with transition.
I'm profoundly grateful for the chance to share my journey with a network of friends, family, and colleagues that stretches across the country and around the globe.
I’d love to work with you.
“Michelle is that rare person that anticipates things before anyone else sees them coming and produces systems and solutions very quickly. Her brain works faster, stronger, and more clearly than almost anyone I know. Her style is very supportive, inquisitive, and loyal. She's an incredible person. "
CATALAN CONLON, DIRECTOR, CATALAN CONLON CONSULTING OFFICIAL BIO
Michelle Hynes is a skilled meeting facilitator, program developer, and certified coach who loves to help leaders navigate from what is to what’s possible. Her experience includes more than 25 years as a nonprofit executive, consultant, board member, and volunteer. She is a founding member and former Grants Committee co-chair of ninety-nine girlfriends, an all-volunteer regional women's giving collective that has raised and re-granted nearly $2.7M to 60 nonprofit organizations and projects in Portland and SW Washington.
Michelle’s formal education includes a Master’s in Education from University of Pennsylvania, a certificate from the Executive Program for Nonprofit Leaders at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, and a certificate in Strategic Organizational Management from Portland State University. She is a graduate of New Ventures West’s year-long Professional Coaching Course.
Learn more about Michelle on LinkedIn.