Michelle brings expertise in the management of State Department grants. She also brings expertise low-resource environments and in conflict and post-conflict and safety issues. Her work in issues of journalism safety include both field work as a trainer and facilitator as well as substantive research particularly in the area of psychosocial issues and support for local journalists. She was the consulting researcher for UNDP for the background paper “Media Noise and the Complexity of Conflicts: Making Sense of Media in Conflict Prevention” for the joint United Nations-World Bank Flagship Study, Pathways for Peace: Inclusive Approaches to Preventing Violent Conflict.

In 2018, Michelle Betz developed and formulated a four-year program for UNDP in Sierra Leone: “Consolidating Peace and Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals: A strategy to ensure a responsible and sustainable media eco-system in Sierra Leone”.

Before returning to the U.S. in 2016, Michelle was based in Ghana, Egypt and Austria and has conducted workshops and implemented or assessed activities in more than 25 countries including: Ghana, Nepal, DRC, Burundi, Rwanda, Burkina Faso, Iraq, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Nigeria, Central African Republic and Ukraine.

Michelle began her career as a network journalist with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. She then spent six years teaching journalism at the University of Central Florida. She continues to mentor university students at Monash University’s graduate program in international development as well as for early career journalists for National Public Radio’s Next Generation Radio projects.

Michelle oversee project management, evaluation and mentoring of CSOs. She leads security, psychosocial aspects of our work and provides support on all other aspects of the project including international collaborations.