Executive Leader
I don’t just talk about leadership
— I live it.
My work often starts in moments of uncertainty—meeting organizations that are at inflection points and guiding dedicated teams through realignment, turnaround, and growth.
Executive Director
Executive Management Highlights
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Managed $10M in assets
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133% ↑ in revenue
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21 staff
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93% staff retention rate
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49%↑ participant engagement
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Post-construction management of 4,200 sq ft building
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40% Gen Z team
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16 Member Board of Directors
Professional Coaching
Professional Training & Coaching Highlights
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17 years as a professional development trainer and leadership coach
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2500+ training, one-to-one, and group coaching hours delivered
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Certified Integrated Learning Coach for 150+ leaders
74%
of the global workforce will be comprised of Generation Z and Millennials by 2030.
86%
of Millenials emphasize the need for mentorship in their jobs.
85%
of Generation Z and Millennials say soft skills are essential to career growth.
Curious to see the work in action?
Explore the interactive flip book, which offers an inside look at the achievements of our extraordinary team of youth, alumni, staff, and Board of Directors.
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![Smiling older woman with curly gray hair, glasses, wearing a white coat and a colorful striped scarf, outdoors.]()
Michelle Mush Lee is a true civic leader. Mush brings passion, considerable leadership skills, strategy and coalition-building savvy, along with a nuanced understanding of government systems and the needs of the community in addressing the myriad issues facing an under-resourced city. Mush is someone who is respected in equal parts by the community she serves, as well as the elected officials she advises on cultural policymaking.
—Diane Sanchez, Chair, Cultural Affairs Commission (2019-2023), City of Oakland
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![A middle-aged man with glasses and short gray hair, wearing a black long-sleeve shirt, posing against a plain white background.]()
I can say without hesitation that Michelle Mush Lee is one of the most visionary and grounded leaders I’ve ever known. At Youth Speaks, Michelle didn’t just sustain a legacy. She reimagined what it could become. Michelle has an uncommon ability to connect. She coaches with insight and care. She sees potential before others do. She is also an exceptionally effective fundraiser. Michelle understands people, she understands systems, and she understands how to navigate the space between vision and execution.
— James Kass, Founder, Youth Speaks Inc. & Brave New Voices; Executive Director, KALW Public Media
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As a grantmaker at the Kenneth Rainin Foundation, I have witnessed Mush’s exemplary leadership as the executive director of Youth Speaks. Mush’s spirit, resilience, and innovative approach to problems reminds us all of the transformative power of creative leadership to build bridges, heal divisions, and help us imagine a just and vibrant future.
—Ted Russell, The Kenneth Rainin Foundation
To lead well is to learn well; to learn well is to love well;
To love well is to use your power to correct everything standing in the way of love,
And walk, together, towards all that’s possible, just, and true in the world.