Rev. Dr. Michelle Lewis

Agent of Thriving, Climate & Environmental Justice

Rev. Dr. Michelle Lewis, Agent of Thriving, Climate & Environmental Justice, leads Ormond’s environmental justice, climate care, and food insecurity initiatives. Michelle believes in the power of people working together to create more just and equitable communities. She believes the church can lead this work when it is focused on love.

Her research has spanned using gardens to create sacred spaces in communities, the effects of greenspace on hospital patients’ outcomes, and how the natural world shapes the theologies of black coastal communities. She is ordained in The United Methodist Church and serves Roanoke Island Presbyterian Church. She is a former United Nations advisor and has done conflict work in the Middle East. An award-winning filmmaker, she founded the Peace Garden Project, a 501c3, and the Outer Banks Environmental Film Festival. Michelle is a native of the Outer Banks of North Carolina.