Michelle Tinkler

Michelle Tinkler (she/her) is the Director of Washington State’s Office of Behavioral Health Advocacy. She has been in the Behavioral Health Field since 2008, when she worked at a crisis stabilization until in Pierce County. After that, she worked for the Pierce County Behavioral Health Organization (BHO), where she worked in Continuous Quality Improvement leading to her career as the Pierce County Ombuds for six years. Michelle has a Business Management degree focused on Healthcare Administrative Management and continues her legacy of sticking up for people’s rights and neutrally negotiating complaints and grievances with provider organizations. She is passionate about following the rules and challenging any stigma and rights violations in the Washington State Behavioral Healthcare system. Michelle has emerged as one of the most respected conflict resolution specialists in Washington State. She is respected by her peers and sits on several policy committees, including the Behavioral Health Advisory Committee, and she currently chairs the Office of Behavioral Health Advocacy Advisory Council.