Leadership Team

Michelle Marshall is a transformative leader and the founder of The PurposeWell Group, a strategic advisory and experience design firm dedicated to building purpose-driven brands, equitable ecosystems, and impactful community partnerships. With over 15 years of experience spanning Fortune 100 companies, global brands, and national nonprofits, Michelle is known for designing forward-thinking CSR and stakeholder strategies that create scalable, sustainable solutions and measurable community impact.

Previously, Michelle served as the inaugural Head of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Social Impact at PUMA North America, where she architected the company’s first-ever global DEI and social impact framework. Her leadership fueled strategic growth, increased diverse talent acquisition by nearly 20%, and positioned PUMA as an industry leader in equitable business practices. She led cross-functional initiatives, including the REFORM social justice platform, in which PUMA invested over $5 million and supported impactful partnerships with organizations such as the Trayvon Martin Foundation, the Trevor Project, the ACLU, and the Shawn Carter Foundation, among others, advancing racial equity, gender equality, and LGBTQ+ rights. She was also instrumental in the launch of the We Are Legends capsule collection, which was an all-black employee-led initiative to ensure the authenticity in storytelling of black culture and spearheaded a multi-year partnership with Clark Atlanta University to strengthen HBCU access to careers in the sneaker and fashion industries, which included $1 million in scholarships.

Before PUMA, Michelle served as Senior Director of Women’s Leadership Initiatives at United Way of Greater Atlanta, where she raised over $4 million and led strategic initiatives to confront systemic barriers affecting women in low-income communities — including disparities in maternal health, education, childcare, and economic mobility. She managed a robust ecosystem of 3,000+ women executives, entrepreneurs, and changemakers, leading large-scale

events, strategic engagement, and partnership activations with major corporate supporters such as Coca-Cola, Delta Air Lines, and other leading organizations across Metro Atlanta. Michelle also provided governance and leadership oversight for two Women United Boards of Directors, aligning corporate and community efforts to advance equity and economic mobility for women in underserved communities.
Michelle’s strategic influence spans Fortune 100 companies and national nonprofits. At Nationwide Insurance, where she spent over a decade, Michelle held progressive roles in claims, underwriting, operations, and community affairs. In her final role, she led corporate citizenship, experiential and multicultural marketing, and brand reputation initiatives across a nine-state Southeast region, managing diverse partnerships, community investments, volunteerism programs, and financial literacy campaigns. As Nationwide’s first Diversity Council Committee Chair for the Southeast, she launched innovative strategies to expand representation in underserved markets, including the first sales pipeline program in partnership with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Nationwide’s first company-wide Women’s Symposium. Her leadership delivered measurable social impact, enhanced community trust, and strengthened market presence for the brand.

Michelle’s leadership extends far beyond the boardroom. She is a dedicated mentor and civic leader who has served on numerous boards and advisory committees, including the American Cancer Society (Gwinnett), Dress for Success Atlanta, Silence the Shame, Lane College, RISE, and Meals on Wheels Atlanta. She has also contributed her expertise as a mentor in the Atlanta Hawks SheLeads program, as a board member of the NBMBAA Atlanta Chapter and United Way of Greater Atlanta Young Professionals, and on the UNCF Atlanta Mayor’s Ball Vice Chair Planning Committee.
A dynamic speaker and respected thought leader, she has shared her insights on global and national stages including the F1 Las Vegas Race in partnership with The Female Quotient, The United Nations, Black Enterprise Women of Power, the Atlanta Hawks, Belmont University, Tufts University, RocNation School of Music, Sports & Entertainment, The National Black MBA Association, SC Johnson, Microsoft, and the Footwear News Summit to name a few.

Michelle has been featured in the Atlanta Business Chronicle, Forbes, NBC10, and Footwear News. She has been recognized with several honors, including Footwear News’ 2024 Women Who Rock, Atlanta Business League’s 2024 100 Women of Influence, and Savoy Magazine’s 2023 Most Influential Executives in Diversity and Inclusion.

Michelle holds a BBA in Marketing from Middle Tennessee State University and an MBA from Bethel University. She has earned executive certificates from Wharton and Kennesaw State, including credentials in talent management and women’s leadership.