Michelle Lean (she/her) is of Plains Cree ancestry on her mother's side and Scottish settler ancestry on her father’s side. She was born and resides in amiskwacîwâskahikan (Edmonton). She is member of Frog Lake First Nation located in Treaty 6 territory. 

She brings over 15 years of communication experience working in industries like engineering, healthcare, post-secondary education, utilities and finance. Her expertise includes communications planning, issues management, and employee engagement. In her role at pipikwan, she leads a team of communications professionals supporting clients with projects like communications planning and implementation, website development, and social media strategies and content development. Her training for communications professionals about decolonizing communications and reconciliation has been recognized by IABC Edmonton and IABC Canada.

Michelle holds a Masters of Arts in Intercultural and International Communications from Royal Roads University, a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Alberta and a Diploma in Public Relations from MacEwan University. She is passionate about using her skills to amplify the voices of Indigenous peoples and engage allies in contributing to reconciliation.

When she’s not working, Michelle can be found hanging out with her children, walking her dog Askiy, or spending time with her partner Jeremy.