Michelle Gilkey

Michelle Gilkey began their work experience in 1999 as a Lead Instructor and Curriculum Developer at iD Tech Camps. Michelle developed curriculum for web design and taught courses in multimedia and virtual reality. Michelle then moved on to work as a Senior Technical Trainer at New Horizons Computer Learning Centers from 1999 to 2002, where they presented technical courses and modified curriculum to suit individual students. From 2002 to 2009, Michelle worked at The Linde Group as a Senior Technology Consultant, providing strategic information systems consultation and leading technology roll-outs. Most recently, they served as the Director of Marketing/Communications, Learning, and Product at Western Electrical Contractors Association, Inc. starting in 2010. In this role, they oversaw the full product development lifecycle, conducted customer needs discovery, and developed positioning strategy.

Michelle Gilkey completed their education in a variety of fields. In 1995-1999, they earned a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Art from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Following this, in 2006-2010, they pursued a Graduate Certificate in Training Systems Development with a focus on Instructional Technology from San Francisco State University. Later, in 2011, they obtained a Leadership and Strategic Management Certificate in Marketing Strategy from Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management. In 2014-2015, they attended the University of Maryland and achieved a Master of Professional Studies (M.P.S.) degree in Technology Entrepreneurship. Additionally, Michelle acquired a Wine Business Management Certificate from Sonoma State University in 2018-2019. Michelle also obtained several certifications, including "Measuring Return on Investment" from the Association for Talent Development (ATD) in May 2019 and the "WSET Level 2 Award in Wines and Spirits with Distinction" from the WSET in July 2018.