Hospitals and Health Care
Professional Services
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Michelle Taylor

Fractional CMO & Communications Leader | Turning Complex Products into Market Momentum

About Me

Michelle Taylor is a strategic communications and marketing executive with more than 20 years of experience helping high-growth, high-trust organizations clarify their market position, strengthen executive visibility, and accelerate growth. A former journalist and corporate communications leader, Michelle has led communications, brand, thought leadership, public relations, executive communications, and go-to-market initiatives for healthcare, health technology, SaaS, insurance, and emerging technology organizations ranging from venture-backed startups to established enterprises. Known for operating as an embedded partner to founders, CEOs, and executive teams, Michelle brings a rare combination of strategic counsel and hands-on execution. She helps organizations translate complex products and ideas into clear, compelling narratives that build credibility, drive engagement, and create market momentum. Her experience includes leading corporate and executive communications functions, guiding organizations through periods of rapid growth and transformation, managing reputation and crisis communications, developing thought leadership platforms, and building integrated communications and marketing programs aligned to business objectives. Michelle thrives in environments where clarity is needed, stakes are high, and growth requires both strategic thinking and decisive action.

Jurisdiction

United States

Experience

Seniority LevelExecutive
Years of Experience20+ years
Current StatusActive
Fractional Chief Marketing & Communications OfficerNexStratus
2025 - 2026

Served as fractional Chief Marketing & Communications Officer and strategic advisor to the founder/CEO of an AI-native healthcare operations company, leading executive positioning, integrated communications, and market-facing narrative strategy for Deep-SKAI, a next-generation enterprise AI platform designed to unify clinical, financial, and operational workflows across healthcare systems and supply-chain environments. • Architected and led the enterprise brand, market positioning, and integrated communications strategy that established NexStratus as a differentiated entrant in the emerging AI healthcare operations category. • Defined a clear enterprise value proposition and messaging framework for Deep-SKAI, translating complex AI capabilities into market-ready positioning, executive storytelling, and customer-facing narratives. • Directed an integrated launch strategy spanning PR, executive visibility, digital content, web, messaging, video, and GTM assets to support market awareness and strategic healthcare engagement. • Served as strategic communications advisor to the founder/CEO, leading executive visibility, thought leadership, and stakeholder messaging that strengthened credibility with investors, advisors, analysts, and healthcare decision-makers. • Partnered across product, sales, and leadership teams to align market-facing communications, launch readiness, and enterprise storytelling around a unified strategic narrative supporting early-stage growth and pilot engagement.

Senior Director, Strategic CommunicationsDrFirst
2021 - 2024

Privately held ($885M) health tech/B2B SaaS company serving healthcare providers, pharmacies, and health systems nationwide. Served as senior communications strategist and executive advisor during a period of significant organizational growth, market expansion, and business transformation. • Led integrated communications, executive visibility, and corporate narrative strategy aligned to Growth Office KPIs and long-term business priorities supporting market differentiation, product innovation, and enterprise growth. o FY24 Growth KPIs: 94% • Led an integrated PR, executive visibility, and thought leadership strategy that repositioned the company from a niche SaaS vendor to a recognized digital health transformation leader, increasing share of voice 200% and elevating market influence across healthcare and technology audiences. o Share of Voice: +200% (2021–2024) • Served as senior strategic advisor to the CEO and executive leadership team, leading executive communications, media positioning, and industry narrative strategy that strengthened credibility with customers, partners, analysts, and external stakeholders. • Directed integrated storytelling and content strategies across media, executive, web, social, and internal channels, strengthening brand consistency and stakeholder engagement across the organization. • Served as enterprise crisis communications lead, directing high-stakes response strategies and cross-functional stakeholder communications in partnership with leadership, legal, and operational teams to protect organizational trust and reputation. o 2024 CRP Score: 100 • Partnered across growth marketing, product, sales, HR, legal, and executive leadership teams to establish communications governance, message consistency, and integrated market-facing positioning across major business initiatives and strategic milestones.

Head of Communications & MarketingAmerican Board of Anesthesiology
2020 - 2021

National certifying body for anesthesiology specialty practice. Served as the organization’s lead communications, PR, and marketing executive during a period of heightened industry scrutiny, physician burnout, and operational disruption tied to COVID-19. • Led enterprise communications, brand, PR, and stakeholder engagement strategy focused on restoring physician trust, strengthening organizational credibility, and reinforcing the long-term value of board certification. • Partnered closely with executive leadership to navigate high-stakes communications challenges during the COVID-19 crisis, aligning messaging across physicians, healthcare stakeholders, and internal teams during a period of significant uncertainty and reputational risk. • Directed executive messaging, public affairs, and external communications initiatives that strengthened engagement and improved perception among diplomates and specialty stakeholders nationwide. • Led the successful launch and communications strategy for ABA’s first mobile certification app, ABAGo, driving strong adoption, a 4.4-star App Store rating, and measurable improvements in diplomate trust and engagement. • Managed a cross-functional communications and marketing team while aligning PR, digital engagement, content strategy, and stakeholder communications to organizational priorities and operational goals.

Education

Degree of JournalismVirginia Commonwealth University
1990 - 1994

Certification

Total Certifications1

Crisis Communication Management Professional

Institute for Crisis Management

2020 - 2028

Skills

Core skills10
Interests5
Languages1

Skills

Strategic Communications
Market Positioning
Executive Communications
Thought Leadership
Corporate Communications
Public Relations & Earned Media
Brand Strategy
Go-to-Market Strategy
Crisis & Reputation Management
Content Strategy & Narrative Development

Interests

Growth strategy for emerging companies
Executive thought leadership
Market positioning and category creation
Healthcare innovation
Scaling venture-backed businesses

Languages

Romanian