Michelle Fortier enters her second season with Winston-Salem State Lady Rams basketball and is a welcome addition to the WSSU staff. With 15 years of coaching experience, Fortier is one of the key leaders in the Lady Rams basketball program. Her knowledge of the game and presence as a leader has been key to the Lady Rams' continued development as an NCAA Division I program.

Prior to joining the WSSU coaching staff, Fortier served as the interim head coach at California Polytechnic Institute-Pomona where she took over a struggling Broncos program just two days before the start of the 2006-07 season. Prior to taking over the program, she spent one season as an assistant coach at Southeast Missouri State University where she helped guide the team to its first Ohio Valley Conference Tournament championship and NCAA tournament bid in school history.

She spent the majority of her coaching career at Kalamazoo College in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was there that Fortier spent 12 years as the team's head coach. She set the team record for wins in a season posting a 21-7 record during the 2001-02 season. As the head coach, Fortier engineered a number of impressive wins upsetting the 2004 national champions in 2005 and defeating a pair of nationally ranked programs. It was at Kalamazoo College that Fortier began her collegiate career in 1993.

As a player, Fortier earned four letters at Western Michigan University where she was the Broncos' starting point guard for four seasons from 1989-1993. Fortier served as the Broncos' captain for two seasons and finished her career amongst the all-time leaders in assists and steals en route to MVP honors as a junior.

Fortier earned her bachelor's degree in math/education at Western Michigan and received a Master's degree at WMU in Sports Studies as well.

A member of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association, Fortier has earned numerous professional honors and will help as the Lady Rams move into the Division I era.