Her Story
About Michelle
Michelle Lee serves as Senior Principal Design Lead at Chick-fil-A, where she oversees reinvestment and remodel projects across the West Region, including states such as California, Colorado, Utah, Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Arizona, and New Mexico. She began her career as an architect in 2013 and has specialized in QSR and kitchen design since 2016. Lee holds both a bachelor degree and a master degree in architecture and is registered as an architect in the state of California. She is a member of the American Institute of Architects and has received AIA awards for projects early in her career. In addition to her professional work, she volunteers with Second Harvest Food Bank in Orange County. Lee attributes her success to hard work, determination, and the support of her mentors.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Michelle
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would say hard work, determination, and honestly, a lot of the mentors that I've had in my life, and like, pushing me, encouraging me along the way.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
One piece of advice that a mentor gave to me that sticks with me is, you know, whenever I go to present, or if I go to speak in front of a large group of people, his advice to me was just to remember, you know, it's not about you, it's about the message that you're trying to deliver.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say take a new challenge and make it an opportunity to be better, because I think it's the challenges and difficulties that we encounter that actually really force us to grow. If it was such an easy path there wouldn't be as much growth involved.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
It's an industry that women are becoming increasingly at the forefront of and influential in, but it hasn't always been the case, and that's always a challenge. The development and construction world is still pretty male-dominated.
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