Michele Ames specializes in issues management, crisis communications, strategic communications and media relations efforts for government, commercial and non-profit entities. She has worked extensively with corporate, civic, elected and non-profit leaders in proactively positioning their organizations and issues and managing challenging circumstances.

Michele’s communications expertise results from nearly 20 years with the news media on both sides of the desk including 10 years of diverse communications consulting. She primarily focuses on managing evolving communications issues in a host of media environments as well as executive-level strategic consulting around issues management and crisis situations.

After working for more than a decade as a journalist, Michele left her political reporting position at the Rocky Mountain News in 2004 to become the media director for the University of Colorado at Denver. Among other experiences, she grew her extensive crisis communications expertise after she was tapped by top university leadership to manage communications involving allegations against the football program in Boulder. She then spent two-years with GBSM where she continued to hone her issues management and crisis skills on a variety of corporate, non-profit and government projects.

In 2007, she returned to the University of Colorado at Denver as special assistant to the Chancellor. In that role, Michele helped lead and support the institution’s internal and external communications efforts including a number of crisis communications issues with the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

Michele received her undergraduate degree in English and Political Science from Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. She serves in a number of volunteer community roles including work with Bicycle Colorado and Community Credit Counseling Service.