On her 16th birthday instead of asking for a car, Michele asked for shares of stock. Always intrigued by the stock market Michele went on to college to study Business Management and Corporate Finance. It was there in a Financial Planning 101 course that her eyes were opened to the often-overlooked educational significance of money management basics like budgeting, saving, and investing. Since then, Michele has been a firm believer that financial wellness is just as important to one’s overall health as physical and emotional wellness.
Michele worked her way through college juggling multiple jobs simultaneously, waitressing and bartending at a local country club, scooping (and tasting!) gallons of ice cream at the local shop, utilizing her Nail Technician license doing manicures and pedicures out of her dorm room and at salons, and then turning a financial planning internship into a part-time job. Upon college graduation Michele earned the necessary securities and insurance licenses needed to start her own financial planning practice at AXA Advisors. A few years later while still building her practice, she returned to night school to study for her MBA. In 2007 Michele joined a publicly traded investment firm in Rochester, NY working as a marketing manager for the next twelve years before moving on to a smaller locally-owned money manager. Michele joined Heritage in 2021 as the Director of Marketing. Now, as Chief Marketing Officer at Heritage, Michele is responsible for overall marketing strategy, with a focus on communicating the firm’s message and creating outreach programs to engage the firm’s clients, partners and prospective clients. She is motivated by helping others, solving problems and making a positive, lasting impact—all values that she shares with Heritage.
Michele married her high school sweetheart, Phil, and lives in Penfield, NY with their daughter and Pandemic Puppy, Chip. When not working Michele can be found helping with her husband’s construction business, supporting local not-for-profits, and cherishing time with family and friends. Always up for trying something new, Michele enjoys cooking, fitness, traveling and tequila.