Dr. Michelle Foster is the President and CEO of The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation (TGKVF), the largest community foundation in Central Appalachia. Before joining TGKVF in 2016, Michelle was the CEO of the Kanawha Institute for Social Research & Action, Inc., a nonprofit organization that strengthens families through health, employment, asset development, and learning initiatives. Michelle’s original career was as a chemical engineer.

Michelle’s chemical engineering undergraduate degree was conferred at City College of New York. Additionally, she has a doctorate in community economic development (CED) from Southern New Hampshire University and two master’s degrees – one in CED from SNHU and another in engineering management from Marshall University. As part of her professional development, she studied impact investing at the University of Oxford, Saïd Business School, and nonprofit management and leadership at Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government.

In 2020 Michelle launched Fostering Solutions, a podcast and blog, to encourage, enlighten, and empower.