In an industry long dominated by men, Michele Plaia has never been one to shrink from the challenge. Early in her career at HP, she rose from the call center to outside sales, often finding herself one of the only women in a room of 10,000. That grit became her signature, driving a career defined by resilience, advocacy, and a passion for ensuring that the future of technology is both ethical and inclusive.
Today, as a Modern Work AI Senior Specialist at Microsoft, Michele is shaping a $300M+ business in manufacturing, helping enterprise customers adopt AI, activate Copilot, and transform their workplaces for the next era of digital collaboration. Her leadership journey spans over 16 years across industry giants like AWS, Rockwell Automation, and ServiceNow, where she’s driven enterprise cloud strategies, pioneered blockchain solutions, and mentored countless leaders along the way.
At the heart of her mission is democratizing AI—ensuring that this transformative technology doesn’t just serve the few but uplifts the many. Michele has personally led over 200 Copilot enablement sessions for manufacturing customers, championing real-world AI use cases across HR, operations, communications, and customer service. Through targeted upskilling programs, she has equipped more than 16,000 professionals with AI literacy, prompt engineering skills, and ethical frameworks that ensure responsible usage.
“We must lead the charge for ethical, equitable AI—and bring others with us,” Michele says. This philosophy shapes her approach not only with customers but across Microsoft’s own communities. She actively trains partners on how to co-create Copilot solutions, while sharing AI prompt libraries across the Indigenous, HOLA, Women at Microsoft, and Manufacturing Culture Club communities—helping accelerate adoption in spaces where voices have historically been left out of innovation conversations.
Her impact extends beyond the office. As a founding board member of the XX Project and partner of The Female Quotient and Brand Innovators, she’s worked to amplify women’s leadership globally. She also leads AI literacy programs for the Boys & Girls Club and NYC community alliances, helping the next generation of women and youth see themselves as creators of technology, not just consumers.
Michele’s journey has never been easy. She’s faced discrimination, been told to “play the game,” and pushed back every time—choosing instead to rewrite the rules and create spaces where authenticity and innovation can coexist. At Microsoft, she pours that courage into culture-building, serving as a key member of the Manufacturing Culture Club and mentoring five professionals to rise with confidence, clarity, and purpose.
Her legacy is one of bold disruption, fierce inclusion, and a belief that when technology is built by all, for all, it becomes a true force for good.
About #empowHER50 campaign
This campaign celebrates women leaders at Microsoft, past and present, who have been instrumental in democratizing access to technology, opportunity, and growth. By honoring their contributions over the last half-century, this campaign highlights stories of resilience, innovation, and inclusivity. Through digital spotlights, a commemorative coffee table book, live recognition events, and more, the campaign inspires collective action toward achieving equitable societal goals. To learn more about empowHER50, please visit https://womenincloud.com/empowHER50
To learn about Microsoft 50th celebrations: https://news.microsoft.com/microsoft-50/
