Michele Lee

Michele is an independent researcher, writer, project manager and mediator with experience in policy, service and social enterprise development. She specialises in building partnerships and managing large-scale projects, and is skilled at helping individuals and organisations deal with conflict in concrete and creative ways.

Over the last 10 years Michele has worked in both the US and the UK in various policy, advocacy and research roles, primarily in the field of ageing.  In the US, she worked as a legal advocate for older and disabled people, helped set up a non-profit health foundation and carried out community health needs research to help set funding priorities for a leading national charity.  In the UK, Michele has led large-scale research and innovation projects, including the UK Inquiry into Mental Health and Well-Being in Later Life (www.mhilli.org).  In 2007-08, Michele led a £1.25m project at public service design agency Participle to co-create new services with and for older people.  After developing a prototype of a new service in just nine months and securing £1m seed funding to set it up as a new business, Michele decided to become a freelance consultant so that she could work with a wider range of clients. 

Michele is now an Associate of Participle, an Associate of the Older People’s Programme, an independent consultant and a freelance mediator.  She is innovating ways of using conflict resolution approaches to address major social challenges such as ageing.  Current research interests include elder mediation, conflict and public services, and families, relationships and care.

Michele holds a first degree in History of Science from Harvard University, and an MSc (with distinction) in Social Policy & Planning from the London School of Economics.  She is currently doing post-graduate studies in Conflict Resolution & Mediation at Birkbeck University.