Michelle Poley

Award winning media professional in over 35 years of lighting design, photographic, motion picture and visual work. Michelle has a wide-ranged expertise in theater, theme parks, network television, film, venue and systems design. Since 2000, She has been the Director of Lighting for CNN Washington, responsible for the political programming on CNN including all the CNN presidential debates and responsible for all the programming out of CNN's DC bureau including The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer and The Lead with Jake Tapper. Before CNN, Michelle was a staff lighting director for TNN / CBS / MTV Nashville. During those days Michelle was known as Michael Poley, working for Ted Wells. Michelle has three Emmy awards for her work with Cable News Network, and Country Music Television. Michelle is one of the few transgender people ever to be presented with this honor. Also was on the team who won a Peabody award for Election Coverage in 2010.