Senior Facilitator and Consultant, Orange Grove Consulting

Michele Kawamoto Perry has an extensive professional career across a diverse set of industries, including entertainment, wine & spirits, and financial technology/real estate. She has held senior positions in marketing, business development, and portfolio management with roles at companies such as City of Hope, Festival Marketing, Constellation Brands, and PeerStreet.

Michele’s business experience covers both domestic and international operations. Her work has taken her to residences in New York, Philadelphia, Napa, and Paris. 

Beyond her proficiency in business strategy and brand development, Michele embraces her passion for leadership development and Diversity & Inclusion initiatives. She leverages her leadership skills to instill in her executive clients the power of positive leadership through personal and professional development. Additionally, as the founder of The Forward Project, Michele capitalizes on her multifaceted background and business expertise to create transformational programs integrating mindset training, high-level behavioral strategies, and a mastery of key organizational principles to generate results-driven growth for her clients. 

Michele is an adjunct professor for the Master of Science in Management and Leadership program at Pepperdine’s Graziadio Business School. She holds a B.A. in Social Sciences from Harvard University, an MBA from KEDGE (formerly Bordeaux Business School), as well as Diversity & Inclusion and Change Management Certificates from Cornell University. She has multiple coaching and leadership development credentials including: Certified Professional Co-Active Coach​, Certified MBTI® Practitioner​, Certified EQ-I 2.0 ® & EQ 360 Practitioner​, Certified Facilitator of The Leadership Challenge®​ and Trained LPI® (Leadership Practices Inventory) Coach.​

Michele is an angel investor and is on the Board of Directors for The Academy Project. She is also part of the Advocacy Committee for the Los Angeles Chapter of the United Nations Association.  Additionally, she is a member and collaborator of IDiF, building a Center of Innovation for DEI in finance.  

She and her husband enjoy travel and gastronomy. Michele speaks fluent French, conversational Spanish, and is learning Italian. She is also a true oenophile and is a Certified Sommelier.