Discover Meadowlark: Our Founder

Michelle is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker with extensive experience in children’s mental health and autism services. After establishing her professional career, she began exploring opportunities within foster care as a way to further support children and families in her community. Michelle brings over 17 years of experience in the field, having worked with organizations such as Washburn Center for Children, Autism Therapy Centers, and an international insurance company.

In 2019, Michelle began the initial steps common to many foster parents by learning more about the populations served within the foster care system, as well as identifying both its strengths and areas in need of improvement. By 2020, she had progressed into formal training and licensure preparation. As of 2026, Michelle has provided care for multiple long-term foster placements and numerous respite placements, all while navigating foster parenting as a single parent and intentionally building a strong community of foster families and other single mothers.

Michelle has long envisioned creating a supportive village of like-minded individuals and families who recognize children for who they are, rather than defining them by their history or labels. She believes deeply in the power of community—families supporting one another with both willingness and compassion. Acknowledging the well-documented challenges within the foster care system, particularly the difficulty of securing appropriate placements that allow siblings to remain together, Michelle pursued this vision by founding Meadowlark Housing Initiatives. Through this work, she seeks to preserve sibling connections and reduce the trauma associated with separation by providing meaningful opportunities and support.