Michelle Wilson is the Senior Director of Evaluation & Learning at Shift Work Forward, where she leads the organization’s approach to measuring, learning from, and communicating impact. An anthropologist and storyteller by training, Michelle brings a deep commitment to equitable evaluation and reimagining data as a tool for learning, accountability, and community empowerment.
Michelle’s work centers workers who have been locked out of opportunity and is guided by a single animating question: how can evaluation advance equity rather than just measure it? She leads evaluation strategy and learning design across complex, multi-site workforce initiatives. The strong evaluation and learning infrastructure she has built integrates Theory of Change, Most Significant Change, and Equitable Evaluation principles to create systems that center worker and community voice while generating actionable insights for partners and funders. Her leadership helps position Shift Work Forward as a national leader in racial equity in workforce development and in advancing career navigation approaches that reflect lived experience. Michelle also hosts the State of Our Workforce podcast, amplifying worker voices and shaping national conversations on job quality and workforce equity.
Beyond her formal portfolio, Michelle contributes to organizational strategy, represents Shift Work Forward in national forums, and serves as a thought partner across the organization.
Education
- Doctor of Education, Educational Leadership and Administration — North Carolina State University
- Master of Arts, Applied Anthropology (Program Development and Evaluation) — University of Maryland, College Park
- Bachelor of Arts, Sociology — North Carolina A&T State University