Michelle Giguere

Meet Michelle

Ms. Giguere has 35 years of experience in government affairs and has delivered strong results for a wide range of private and public sector clients.  As a founding partner of Summit Strategies LLC, she provides strategic advice and outcome-oriented plans to Summit’s diverse set of clients.  She plays a lead role coordinating projects that relate to House and Senate appropriations, public works, transportation and infrastructure, economic development and local, regional and state governments in Oregon and Washington.  She has helped clients secure millions of dollars in federal funding for a wide range of projects – highways, bridges, congestion improvements, transit, light rail, streetcar, rural transit, transit oriented development projects, Main street efforts, bicycle and pedestrian trails, housing, law enforcement, at risk youth, juvenile justice, natural resources, forestry, emerging technologies, forestry,  and renewable energy.

Michelle has years of experience working with Congress, federal agencies, the White House, key Administration officials, and regulatory bodies.  Over the past three decades she has worked on a bipartisan basis with majority and minority parties to achieve solid results.  She got her start in government by putting her biology degree on the shelf and accepting an offer to work for Congressman Les AuCoin (D-OR). While he served in Congress, Michelle was his Legislative Director and was responsible for issue development, policy positions, and project strategy, specializing in transportation, defense, natural resource, and economic development issues. She also served as Congressman AuCoin’s representative at all House leadership and whip meetings and was his Oregon State Director for one year.

Ms. Giguere is a 2008 graduate of the Portland Business Alliance Leadership Portland program. In 2009, she was elected to the Board of Trustees of Linfield College, where she still serves.  She also serves on the Board of the Oregon Repertory Singers and on occasion joins them in singing at international chorale competitions overseas.  Over the years, she has worked for and also done pro bono work for several important non-profit organizations, including New Avenues For Youth, Self Enhancement, Inc., and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.  Michelle loves cooking, gardening, travel, foreign languages, and is a devoted friend to cats, dogs, other animals and the wonderful organizations that help find forever homes for lost, stray, and abandoned creatures.