Michelle Stephens

Program Manager

Michelle's experiences growing up on a cattle ranch in the foothills of California prompted her interest in economic development, with a specific emphasis on rural areas. After completing her Master's in Community & Regional Planning at the University of Texas at Austin, she interned with the International Economic Development Council in Washington DC and then decided to move back to her native California to work on improving the economic opportunities for rural and agricultural communities.

Michelle is the Program Manager for CALED and its affiliates. As Program Manager, she assists with CALED's grants by working with the CALED team on delivering the work plan associated with them. Michelle also is actively involved in the issuance of tax-exempt bonds through the California Enterprise Development Authority (CEDA). This low-cost financing assists both businesses and non-profits throughout California. Additionally, she engages the CALED membership on different projects including the Quarterly CALED Bulletin, the Western Innovation Network —a partnership between CALED and USDA Agricultural Research Service, and the California Lenders Network—a community of Revolving Loan Fund operators. Some past projects that Michelle worked on include the Annual CALED Conference, the CALED Membership Survey, and the USDA-RD grant funded report, Growing Thriving Rural Economic Development Corporations, an extensive study on how California EDCs can be financially sustainable while addressing the needs of their community.