Michelle Vander Stouw, M.P.H., Director of Strategy

Michelle R. Vander Stouw, M.P.H., is the Director of Strategy of Peg’s Foundation, the largest mental health funder in Ohio. In her role, Michelle advances the foundation’s strategic priorities to improve partnerships, processes, and collaborative change in service to persons with mental illness. She supports the foundation’s work to engage local communities in designing improved crisis response services. She helps increase engagement and collaboration among philanthropic, state and local mental health systems, community behavioral health care providers, and local government with the aim of achieving real lasting systemic change. Michelle ignites curiosity and illuminates the “space between,” shifting perspectives and revealing insights that strengthen the work.

Michelle has over 25 years of experience in health and health care and has worked at the state and national level on issues of accessing health care and reducing health disparities. Michelle has led numerous collaborative efforts, hosting diverse people and groups in co-creating better futures in the health and social sector. In these and other efforts, she has supported building, from the ground up, systems to create community change at the policy and individual level. 

She began her career in 1996 working at the Columbus Medical Association and Foundation as Program Officer and Director of Strategic Initiatives. Prior to launching her own consulting practice, OnPointe Strategic Insights, where she serves as Managing Principal, she served as Senior Health Impact Director and Assistant Vice President of Planning and Accountability for the United Way of Central Ohio for over 9 years.  Michelle has a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Political Science, and East Asian Studies from Denison University in Granville, Ohio and a Master’s degree in Public Health from The Ohio State University. She is an International Coaching Federation accredited coach and Advanced Certified Birkman consultant, specializing in organizational and leadership development.