Michelle Nunn is the CEO of Points of Light Institute and co-founder of HandsOn Network. Points of Light Institute inspires, equips, and mobilizes people to make a difference in the world. She began her service journey when she helped found HandsOn Atlanta in 1989. What began as a grassroots startup of 12 people who were hoping to get more people involved in volunteer service, has grown into the largest volunteer network in the country, working each day to connect 21st century volunteers with their power to create change in their communities.

At Points of Light Institute, Michelle leads the organization in engaging millions of volunteers each year to use their time, talent, voice and money to solve the pressing issues of our time. Through Points of Light Institute and its business units, HandsOn Network, generationOn and AmeriCorps Alums, individuals, families, and corporate and community groups find meaningful opportunities to give back and create impact.

Michelle has been a leader in the service and nonprofit sector for two decades. She has served on the President’s Council on Service and Civic Engagement and as a co-convener of the Service Nation Coalition and Reimagining Service. She has received a variety of awards, including the Fast Company Social Capitalist Award and honorary degrees from Oglethorpe University and Wesleyan College. The Nonprofit Times has named Michelle to its annual “Power and Influence Top 50” list of change agents from the nonprofit sector for four consecutive years.

She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Virginia with a major in history and a minor in religion. She has studied at Oxford University and in India. She was a Kellogg National Fellow and has a master’s degree in public administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Michelle lives in Atlanta, Ga., with her husband, Ron Martin, and their two children, Vinson and Elizabeth.