Michelle

Michelle Rhone-Collins’, daughter of immigrants, career has been defined by a commitment to advancing equity and expanding access for communities too often left out of opportunity. Her parents' fierce love acted as a buffer to racism, sexism, xenophobia and is the foundational perspective on the power of love to transform. Before LIFT, she spent 20 years leading youth and community development efforts in NY and LA. In 2012, she became founding Executive Director of LIFT-LA where she seeded innovations that now define LIFT’s national model—most notably an 2gen approach to economic mobility, the integration of financial coaching, and direct cash investments. In 2019, she was named CEO of LIFT. Michelle’s leadership has helped define how the nonprofit sector approaches economic justice and mobility. Under her direction, LIFT-LA participated in a groundbreaking RCT measuring the impact of financial coaching on members’ mental and physical health through a medical-financial partnership. LIFT also became the Family Economic Mobility and Community Engagement expert for the Office of Head Start’s National Center for Parent, Family, and Community Engagement. A champion for women leaders—particularly leaders of color— Michelle has been featured in SSIR, Forbes, Variety, LA Magazine, NPR’s Marketplace, and the United State of Women Summit. She is a Senior Fellow at UCLA Luskin and the USC Marshall School of Business, and a Promise Venture Fellow. She serves on the boards of United Way of Greater Los Angeles and Social Justice Partners LA. She is the proud mother of two whom she loves fiercely.