Michell Speight is ABFE’s Chief of Staff. Before joining ABFE, Michell was Chief of Staff at Race Forward, an organization dedicated to advancing racial equity. Michell served for many years as Vice President of Programs at the Dyson Foundation. Additionally, Michell has worked in reproductive health, choice, and advocacy, having directed programs at Planned Parenthood of New York City, the Center for Children + Families, and the Bronx Perinatal Consortium. 

Michell holds a doctorate in Human and Organizational Learning at George Washington University. Her dissertation explored how the myth of “work ethic” oppresses low wage workers, explicitly examining the experiences of fast-food workers and the fight for $15 labor movement. Michell graduated from Baruch College and Mount Sinai School of Medicine with an MBA in Health Care Administration. Michell is a feminist and a reproductive rights activist formerly serving on the boards of a Planned Parenthood affiliate and the Eleanor Roosevelt Center at Val-Kill. 

An animal rights activist, Michell lends her support to social movements to eliminate the sale of animals in pet stores and shutting down puppy mills.