After a career in book and magazine publishing, Michele worked and volunteered in higher education for many years. She is an emerita trustee of Drew University and served on the Board of Education in Millburn. She is a former President of the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. She was also a cataloguer of books and antiquarian manuscripts at John Keats House in Hampstead, London. Michele adopted Glennie, a retired champion Russell Terrier, in 2020, and shortly thereafter, they trained to be an enthusiastic therapy team for CCPT.