Michelle Sims joined in 2020 as CEO of YUPRO Placement, an industry-leading skills-first placement firm, and a subsidiary of nonprofit Year Up United, where she champions a powerful social mission: unlocking career opportunities for individuals emerging from non-traditional training paths. YUPRO Placement partners with corporate America to dismantle outdated hiring barriers, embed skills-first practices, and cultivate inclusive talent pipelines. Michelle’s visionary approach ensures that community’s benefit from sustainable job growth and that organizations gain access to skilled professionals ready to drive innovation and success. Under Michelle’s leadership, the organization has garnered industry-wide acclaim. YUPRO Placement has been honored by the American Staffing Association for its best-in-class work-based learning programs, featured 5 times on the Staffing Industry Analysts’ Fastest Growing Companies list, and earned ClearlyRated’s Best of Staffing® Client Satisfaction award for 6 consecutive years. Also, Michelle has been named among Staffing Industry Analysts’ Global Power 150 Women in Staffing for 5 consecutive years. Continuing her commitment to empowering women in the workforce, Michelle serves on the Women’s Leadership Board for the Harvard Kennedy School’s Women and Public Policy Program. She also volunteers with the American Staffing Association, participating on both the Women in Leadership Council and its Mentor Match Program. Under her guidance, YUPRO Placement has been honored as one of ClearlyRated’s Best Staffing Firms for Women every year since the survey’s inception, further reflecting her dedication to creating equitable, supportive career pathways. Prior to joining YUPRO Placement, Michelle held various senior leadership roles in a variety of industries, while also following her passion for teaching, serving as an adjunct instructor for 17 years at Houston Community College. Michelle holds a BBA in Marketing from Texas A&M University and her MBA from Houston Christian University, where she returned in 2010 to teach Human Resources for the Executive MBA program.