Michelle Mariano is part-time faculty in Humanistic Studies at MICA, where she teaches literature and creative writing.

Outside of academia, she serves as the managing director of ArtWorks for Freedom, a DC-based arts activism nonprofit, and has 15 years of leadership experience in the nonprofit arts sector including with organizations such as Houston Grand Opera and the Alliance for Arts and Health. Michelle holds a PhD in creative writing and literature from the University of Houston and has received numerous awards for her fiction and poetry.