Michelle Bodden joined the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) in March of 2020 in the newly-created position of Chief Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Officer. In this role, she leads the efforts to cultivate equity and inclusiveness both within the organization, as well as through the resources it provides to the State. She has a long history driving D&I strategies, standards, and policies.

Michelle most recently led a supplier diversity program for Allied Universal, a leading security and facility services company with more than 200,000 employees. Prior to that, Michelle furthered D&I focused initiatives for the Women Presidents’ Educational Organization, advancing and ensuring the success of women-owned enterprises. Michelle also has experience as an entrepreneur, having founded a successful business development consulting firm that provided planning and best practice operations for multi-physician medical practices to help maximize profitability and streamline work flows.

Michelle graduated from Delaware State University with a B.A. in Sociology, and is a Certified Diversity Professional. She is currently enrolled in the Cultural Diversity Executive Program (CDE) at the Diversity Executive Leadership Academy.