The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 22

Michelle Dykstra
MICHELLE

Dykstra

Roanoke City Council
Executive Director, Boys and Girls Clubs of
Southwest Virginia
34 years old
Michelle Dykstra ran for Roanoke City Council in
spring 2016, taking office in July. Though her prior
government experience was limited, her background
of business, community and nonprofit development
allowed for new representation on the council.
"What I hope people look for and why they elected me is that they're looking for someone who had a
variety of backgrounds from which I hopefully presented with a well-rounded decision-making capability," she says.
22 | MARCH/APRIL 2017

Dykstra is only the seventh woman to serve on city
council, and is glad to have more female representation. She and Vice Mayor Anita Price are serving
concurrent four-year terms, the first time two women
have served all four years together.
So far, she describes her experience as "amazing,"
and that her variety of skill sets developed from random parts of her life are finally coming together in
one place, whether it's volunteerism or business development. As she continues to build upon them,
she's glad to feel like she's contributing to the city in
a meaningful way.
"I was not one of those people who graduated
from college knowing exactly what I was going to
do," she says. "But I have always been the type of
person who fills every minute of my day. What I do
on a daily basis is complementary to what I do on
city council...I get to talk about things I'm passionate
about, whether it's kids or community development
or neighborhood revitalization. All of those things are
not only city council-related, they relate to my job
and they're also my own personal passions."
The uphill battle began in January 2016 when she
announced her decision to run. Her first three phone
calls after that were to current council members.
"I didn't want them to tell me I'd win, but I wanted to know if it was even possible for a 33-year-old
woman to get elected," she says. "Because if you tell
me it's possible, I'll tell you I can do it. But I didn't
know the lay of the land, and wanted to know if it
was an all-boys club, that type of thing. They were
honest, telling me the ups and downs of campaigning
and being in politics."
She's also recently added the title of executive director of Boys and Girls Clubs of Southwestern Virginia.
It's a full-time job on top of her council duties, and
Dykstra does it all with style and poise, calling it a
tremendous opportunity.
When she's not in council chambers or at her job,
she's staying strong with CrossFit and running. She
values good relationships with friends, as well as
spending time with family. Her main focus is her
three-year-old daughter Elsa, and they stay busy with
swim lessons, children's theater classes and spending
time with her friends. Being a role model is one of
the most important things for Dykstra.
"It was a huge part of my decision to run," she
says. "Being able to model that for Elsa and saying
I'm interested without knowing how it'd turn out,
but I was willing to dive in and see what happened.
Even if I hadn't won city council, I would've found
something else to focus on and do."
Elsa isn't the only one who sees her as a role model.
When speaking to younger people, Dykstra stresses
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The Roanoker March/April 2017

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