Michelle served on the Board of Seeds of Peace from 2009-2017, including a board term as Vice-Chair. She served as treasurer of the Seeds of Peace UK Advisory Board in London from 2008-2012. Michelle has two adult children Zoe and Benjy Mercer-Golden, both Seeds. Zoe went onto to become a Seeds of Peace Camp counselor for two summers.

Michelle is especially passionate about organizations devoted to gender justice and immigrant rights. Michelle has worked in the nonprofit sector, government and the law.

Michelle currently serves on three nonprofit boards: Stanford University’s Clayman Institute for Gender Research, the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, and the Women Donors Network.

Michelle has worked as a Legislative Aide to a California State Senator, as a federal law clerk for US District Court Judge Thelton Henderson in San Francisco and as the Development Director for the Coalition for Immigrant, Refugee, Rights and Services in San Francisco.

Michelle’s prior nonprofit board work includes serving as Chair of the Board of Directors of Park Day School in Oakland, California, and as a member of the Board of the East Palo Alto Community Law Project in East Palo Alto, California. Michelle graduated with honors from Stanford University in 1981 and from Stanford Law School in 1986.

Michelle has lived abroad in Latin America, Asia, and Europe for a total of 15 years. Michelle had a Rotary Scholarship which took her to Lima, Peru, from 1982-1983. Michelle and her husband Bruce Golden lived in Hong Kong from 1988-1991 and in London from 2002-2013.