Michelle is the Vice President, Tennessee Operations Site Leader and Global Operations Support at Eastman where she partners across the enterprise to accelerate strategy and build on today’s operational strengths. Currently, she is leading a global Operations Transformation program to drive improvements in operational execution as the company enters its second century of working to enhance the quality of life in a material way. Eastman is a global advanced materials and specialty additives company that produces a broad range of products found in items people use every day. Eastman serves customers in more than 100 countries, is headquartered in Kingsport, TN, and employs approximately 14,500 people around the world.
Prior to her current role, Michelle held a business leadership role responsible for global manufacturing and growth. Over her career, she has served in leadership roles in engineering, manufacturing, and technology organizations and enjoyed developing people and technology solutions at the center of the business/manufacturing interface. She has been involved in the development and scale-up of new products and supported successful large-scale expansions in Asia, North America, and Europe.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Georgia Tech in 1996, is a licensed Professional Engineer, and has co-authored publications and taught industrial short-courses on distillation and operation and control of plant-wide systems. She is a recent recipient of the National Association of Manufacturers Women in Manufacturing Award, serves on the board of directors for the Eastman Foundation, and volunteers with children’s educational opportunities and the United Way organization in her community.
She resides in Kingsport with her husband where they enjoy spending time on the lake and being outdoors with their four children.