Michelle D. Ray arrived at Swarthmore in August 2015, assuming the newly developed position for the Title IX case manager and grievance advisor. She worked closely with the Title IX team and the community to innovate this role. Additionally, serving as the point person for concussed students, Ray worked with academic affairs to centralize their services for concussed students. Additionally, she has served as the Interim Director of the Diversity Peer Advisor Program and acting assistant dean and director of OSE for a short tenure in 2017. Most recently, Ray served as the interim Title IX coordinator in the 2017-18 academic year.  

Prior to Swarthmore, Ray spent a significant part of her career working at the University of Pennsylvania, serving as a student intervention specialist for the vice provost of University Life crisis intervention services team, and the director of Sansom Community Services.

Ray earned a BA in economics with a concentration in finance and a minor in computer science from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown and an MA in higher education administration from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She also has formal training and a number of professional certifications, such as victim advocacy from the Roper Victim Assistance Academy in Maryland at the University of Baltimore, grant writing and board governance from the University of Pennsylvania, and serval certifications in Title IX from various Title IX training organizations. Ray is an experienced and certified self defense instructor and long-time volunteer in Philadelphia with organizations such as Women Against Abuse and Women Organized Against Rape. She has also served on a number of higher education and social work professional organizations.