Michelle is a founding board member and the Treasurer and Administrator at Fostering Hope.
Dr. Filling-Brown holds a Bachelor’s in Secondary Education from West Chester University and both a Master’s and Ph.D. in English from the University of Delaware. She is currently the Chief Academic Officer/Dean of Academic Affairs at Cabrini University.
Dr. Filling-Brown has been building partnerships with foster care organizations over the past decade through a course she teaches at Cabrini University that focuses on the social justice issues within the child welfare system. She’s been specifically passionate about serving youth as they “age out” of the system and also serving current and former foster youth as they enroll at Cabrini University. Michelle is also a faculty affiliate for the Jordan Center for Children of Trauma and Domestic Violence Education, which works to prevent childhood trauma and domestic violence through advocacy, research, and education. She has a family connection to the foster care system with a cousin who was adopted into her extended family.
Michelle lives in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania with her husband, Pat, (step)son, Jameson and their dog Angel. She reminds people that “even if you aren’t in a place to foster children, you can still help through direct service and advocacy work. Fostering Hope is a great way for everyone to get involved to help those who are most vulnerable in our community.”