Michelle Olson is managing partner at Lambert, a full-service integrated marketing communications and investor relations firm with talent hubs in Arizona, Michigan, Missouri and New York. The nationally recognized firm works with clients ranging from global brands to emerging leaders in a variety of industries including capital markets, automotive and mobility, consumer, education and food & beverage. Michelle leads the firm’s aerospace & defense and advanced air mobility practice areas and drives strategic growth and partnerships for the firm.

Recently, Michelle led an integrated team in a campaign to assist an aerospace defense company in winning the largest military contract in its history. She also helped launch its advanced air mobility eVTOL at CES and UberElevate in 2019, when the industry was still nascent. Over the course of nearly three decades, she handled communication strategy for numerous high-profile real estate development projects, including the Phoenix Coyotes’ Glendale Arena grand opening, two industry-leading lifestyle centers: Kierland Commons and Scottsdale Quarter, and the opening of several master planned communities, hotels, restaurants and golf courses throughout the Southwest.

With more than 35 years in public relations and integrated marketing, Michelle has served clients across the U.S. and internationally, and has significant experience in corporate communications and issues management across industries. A notable business leader and entrepreneur, Michelle founded and led her own company for 13 years prior to its acquisition by a New York ad agency in 2014. At that time her firm ranked as Arizona’s third largest by the Phoenix Business Journal.

Michelle was national chair of PRSA in 2021 and previously served on the national board of directors and as a leader at the chapter and regional levels. As chair during a global pandemic, Michelle focused her efforts on increasing member communication, improving access to member resources and equipping PR practitioners to identify and combat mis/dis/malinformation, break down barriers for diverse students and professionals to enter the industry, and set the tone for civil discourse.

PR News named Michelle to the 2020 and 2021 classes of the Top Women in PR, Ragan Communications recognized her with a Top Women in Communications Award in 2021 and she was further recognized with a Stevie Award in 2021 in the Thought Leader category. She was named one of Arizona’s Most Influential Women in Business by BizAZ Magazine in 2018 and in 2003 received the Phoenix PRSA chapter’s prestigious PERCY Award for her achievements in the public relations industry. Michelle is a past chair of Counselors Academy, PRSA’s international section for agency owners and leaders and served for two years as an advisor and mentor to the organization’s nearly 10,000-member student body, PRSSA, providing counsel to its national committee.

Michelle is a member of the Vertical Flight Society, Association for the US Army (AUSA), American Army Aviation Association (AAAA), Urban Land Institute (ULI) and a past chair of Arizona Forward, a 55-year-old statewide advocacy organization convening dialogue on sustainability and quality of life issues in Arizona. She is on the advisory board of the Advanced Air Mobility Institute (AAMI) and has served as a judge for the prestigious Environmental Excellence Awards, the ATHENA Awards, which recognize outstanding women leaders in Arizona, and the IMPACT Awards, which recognize Arizona’s most impactful companies. She lives in equal parts in Scottsdale and on a jet as she serves agency needs across the globe.