Michele Lee serves as the Global Vice President, Justice Solutions, focusing on IJM’s program approach and strategy to secure justice and protection from violence for people in poverty. She works closely with the Global Survivor Network (GSN) Leadership Council to lay the foundation of the GSN, which seeks to elevate and prioritize survivor leadership in the movement to protect people from violence.

Michele joined IJM in 2013 as an Aftercare Specialist, supporting IJM field offices to strengthen justice systems to provide social service support, crisis care, and trauma-informed care to survivors. Most recently, Michele served as the Global Director of Aftercare, leading the global aftercare program strategy and product development for the process of accompanying survivors in the journey of restoration.

Michele holds a M.A. and Ed.M., in Psychological Counseling from Columbia University and a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from New York University. Her dissertation topic was titled, “Self-silencing, Cultural Factors, and Depression among Korean American Women.” Michele was in her Ph.D. program in New York City during 9/11 and has dedicated her career to understanding the impact of trauma and the restoration process, both on the individual and the collective society. Prior to IJM, Michele worked as a psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania, Arlington County Government, and NGOs that serve people who are marginalized and at risk in their local communities. Michele lives in the Washington D.C. area with her husband and their three children.