Michelle Beasley is a long-term recovery and systems practitioner who helps communities design and implement regenerative approaches to disaster recovery. Her work combines relationship-building, cross-sector collaboration, and strategic learning to strengthen how communities adapt to disruption with agency, dignity, and care.
With a non-linear career spanning civic engagement, organizational development, healthcare, learning technologies, tech startups, and emergency management, Michelle brings a systems-level understanding of how recovery, healing, and regeneration unfold over time. She has supported communities across the Western U.S. and the Pacific — learning alongside Tribal Nations, island territories, and local governments — to coordinate recovery efforts, grow local leadership, and embed self-determination in future planning.
Michelle’s practice is rooted in a deep ecology perspective — honoring the interdependence between people, place, and environment — and an excitement for climate innovations emerging from local communities. She believes the most resilient solutions are born from those directly experiencing the impacts of change, and she works to amplify these insights through design, dialogue, and shared learning networks. She brings a lifelong commitment to community healing and collective recovery with a deepened understanding that recovery is as much about grief and meaning-making as it is about logistics and resources.
At NewStories, Michelle is exploring and nurturing the evolution of the Re-Storying Disaster initiative, clarifying the organization’s unique contribution within the broader resilience landscape. She focuses on strengthening partnerships, cultivating shared learning across networks, and supporting communities who are open and curious about long-term regenerative systems. Her facilitation and learning design skills help groups integrate complexity, listen across difference, and build coherence amid uncertainty.
Grounded in empathy and curiosity, Michelle approaches this work as practice rather than prescription. She believes regeneration cannot be imposed or accelerated but must be cultivated through relationships, patience, and respect for local wisdom. Whether guiding practitioners, designing learning exchanges, or supporting climate-inspired innovation at the community level, she helps people recover, adapt, and imagine new futures with integrity and collective care.