Biography

Michelle Carter has more than eighteen years in the humanitarian and development field. Currently, she is the Managing Deputy Regional Director of Southern Africa/Country Director for South Africa for CARE International, a humanitarian organization providing disaster relief and fighting poverty around the world. Michelle is seasoned in women empowerment and poverty alleviation programming through her focus on program quality, program development, management and leadership. Michelle has worked in Haiti, Rwanda, a regional role covering East and Central Africa, Mozambique, Burundi, Lesotho and now South Africa. Throughout her career, she has been considered one of CARE’s top talents. She has received recognition by donors and others for excellent programming. She is fluent in French, Portuguese, German and Haitian Kreyol. After earning a BA in Psychology and International Relations from Smith College in 1993, Michelle completed Master of Science in Foreign Service (MSFS), focused on International Development and Sub-Saharan Africa from Georgetown University in 1996. At Georgetown and Smith College, she received fellowships, scholarships and awards. In addition, she was actively involved in on-campus and off campus activities around governance, diversity, community development, tutoring, etc. She remains an active alumna for both schools. Michelle speaks regularly in events on poverty and women’s issues. She has featured in interviews for various media outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, IRIN, Emerge magazine, Career in International Affairs, in the book In her Shoes, which is dedicated to career option for young girls, amongst others. She is actively involved in ICAP and other professional organizations. Michelle is currently based in Johannesburg, South Africa where she appreciates spending time with her family. In between her busy work schedule, she enjoys reading, learning languages, travelling, dancing and diving in her spare time.