Michelle is currently the Mayor of the City of Topeka, Kansas, and she will complete her term in December 2021. During her term as Mayor, De La Isla has served as the Tri-Chair of Momentum 2022 and as the Co-Chair of the Joint Economic Development Organization, which are focused on growing economic development in the capital city. She has also regularly participated in the U.S. Conference of Mayors and served as the Chair of the Youth Involvement Taskforce.
Michelle is also currently a Managing Director of the Foundation, where she leads DRK’s Midwest presence building partnerships, sourcing new investments, and working with the leadership of those organizations as an operating partner and board member. As a member of the Foundation’s senior leadership team, she also helps execute the Foundation’s strategy and goals and contributes to its thought leadership and external outreach. Michelle currently serves on the boards of DRK grantees Brilliant Detroit and FreeWorld. Michelle has also served as a MANA National Board Member and Co-Chair of the Hermanitas Leadership Conference. She is an alumna member of Leadership Kansas and Leadership Greater Topeka, and a Rodel Fellow at the Aspen Institute. Michelle earned a BS in Biology from Wichita State University, and will be completing her Mid-Career Master in Public Administration at Harvard University next fall.
