Michelle Bledsoe

Michelle Bledsoe has worked within the early childhood mental health and early care and education field for over 30 years. She acquired her bachelor’s degree in social work from Cleveland State University and received a Master of Science in Social Administration degree from Case Western Reserve University- Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences.

Ms. Bledsoe’s service has been grounded in relationship building, collaboration with stakeholders, and identifying disparities within marginalized and vulnerable populations to implement place-based strategies to build the capacity of communities to dismantle inequities and empower systemic change for communities to thrive. As an advocate for the prevention of mental health concerns in young children and access to early intervention to promote positive outcomes for children and families, she has coordinated multi-county prevention efforts to promote resiliency in young children and their families and reduce the over-identification of black and brown children due to implicit bias. Her approach to service is primarily through the tenants of integrity, respect, and humility. These tenants have enabled Ms. Bledsoe to mobilize communities to create shared visions to produce collective impact programming that addresses the unique needs of constituents by: identifying systemic barriers; developing, implementing, and evaluating equitable programming; and advocacy for policy changes that impact the wellbeing and stability of children and families.