Michele Cicale is a native New Yorker who has been involved in the nonprofit sector since 1999.

Michele started her career in finance, having held various roles at Sansar Capital Management, Lehman Brothers and Goldman Sachs. During her 20 year tenure in finance, Michele served as a volunteer and board member at various nonprofits and decided to officially change her career after the birth of her daughter.

Michele decided to pursue and ultimately earned a Masters Degree in Nonprofit Management from the New School where she focused her efforts on impact evaluation and fundraising. She presently serves as WAAM’s Program Officer and is part of its Executive Committee. As Program Officer she works closely with our grantees, manages our grant-making portfolio and ensures that a foundation’s activities align with its mission.

In addition to her service at WAAM, she is a founding member of Impact100NYC, where she is a member of their grants evaluation and membership committees. In addition, she serves on the Advisory Board of UpChieve, a free online tutoring and college mentoring nonprofit. Previously, she was the Director of Development at the Classical Theatre of Harlem and an independent nonprofit consultant.

She holds a BA in International Studies from Duke University and has lived, worked and volunteered in Spain, Hong Kong and India, respectively. Having traveled to roughly 100 countries, Michele is always seeking new adventures where she can learn from diverse people and cultures.