Michelle Hawthorne serves as a Learning & Development Specialist at the Weikart Center for Program Quality at the Forum for Youth Investment. With over 15 years of diverse educational experience, she has dedicated the past eight years to 21st Century Out-of-School Time (OST) programs, a role she finds both rewarding and challenging.

During her five years managing afterschool programs, Michelle has developed a strong passion for coaching and training youth development professionals, providing them with essential tools and knowledge to better support young people. Michelle’s journey has fueled her commitment to helping fellow OST professionals adopt research-based practices that improve program quality. She is currently recognized as an External Assessor in Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and has completed the Youth Work Management Training of Trainers program.

A proud Detroiter, Michelle earned her B.A. in History from the University of Detroit Mercy. In her free time, she enjoys watching documentaries, crafting, traveling, and immersing herself in cultural experiences. She cherishes spending quality time with her family, friends, and her two beloved pets, Oreo and Lulu.