Michelle Tange

My career has been defined by flexibility and putting my family first. I started in education as an administrator on college campuses, where I spent about 15 years across the country teaching students how to live on their own - everything from how to clean and balance a checkbook to how to have relationships. After having my two biological daughters and one adopted daughter, I decided that I wanted to raise my kids myself, so we moved to New Mexico. Since then, I've worn many hats - realtor, notary, insurance salesman, and I opened two franchise offices with Liberty Tax that I ran for 10 years, though I really did not enjoy it. I also served as the outreach coordinator for the state of New Mexico for their college savings plan for 14 years, which was important because it allowed me to be with my kids and help them see how important work is and to have a good work ethic. About 4 months ago, I switched to healthcare, where I now work for Optum. I'm responsible for engaging our unengaged practices - when contracted offices are not completing what we expect them to do, I step in and help them. My most notable professional achievement is probably just being flexible and finding positions that allowed me to be there for my kids while still maintaining a strong work ethic.