With heartfelt gratitude, we celebrate the retirement of Michele Saleh, Tucci Learning Solutions’ Early Start Program Coordinator and an extraordinary leader whose influence has shaped countless lives.
Although Michele officially joined Team TUCCi in 2013, her partnership with Vicci Tucci and the Competent Learner Model (CLM) began years earlier during her distinguished career as Director of Special Education for the Monterey County Office of Education (MCOE). As a speech-language pathologist and respected special education leader, Michele championed innovative practices and played an integral role in one of the longest-running CLM implementations in California.
When Vicci envisioned expanding TUCCi’s services to include
California’s Early Start Program, Michele embraced the opportunity. Together with Co-Program Coordinator Kimi Villalobos, she helped build the program from the ground up, developing its design, cultivating strong partnerships with regional centers, hiring and mentoring staff, overseeing assessments, and ensuring families received compassionate, high-quality support.
Through Michele’s leadership, TUCCi’s Early Start Program has grown into a trusted, family-centered service supporting infants and toddlers (birth to age three) with developmental delays, disabilities, or risk factors. Her work has helped create brighter futures for children while empowering families during some of their most important early years.
Michele’s impact extends far beyond programs and processes. She leaves behind a legacy of excellence, integrity, humor, and unwavering compassion that has influenced colleagues, inspired professionals, and touched the lives of countless children and families.
As Kimi Villalobos reflected:
“Michele is one of the fiercest and smartest women I have ever known, with an unwavering commitment to both her work, her family, and her work family. She has the ability to hold you to the highest standards while making you feel deeply supported and genuinely cared for. Her sharp wit, honesty, intelligence, and unapologetic authenticity make her an unforgettable mentor and someone I will always admire.”
As Michele begins this well-earned new chapter, we celebrate not only her remarkable career but also the lasting legacy she leaves at Tucci Learning Solutions. Her leadership, vision, and dedication have strengthened our organization and enriched the lives of everyone fortunate enough to work alongside her.
Thank you, Michele, for your years of service, your steadfast commitment to children and families, and the countless ways you’ve helped shape TUCCi’s mission. We wish you every happiness and adventure in your retirement. Your impact will continue to be felt for years to come and the pieces of the story you wrote will be woven into the fabric of the history of Tucci Learning Solutions and the Competent Learner Model forever.
View the video conversation between Vicci Tucci and Michele Saleh here.
Related blog post: The History of the CLM in California
With heartfelt gratitude, we celebrate the retirement of Michele Saleh, Tucci Learning Solutions’ Early Start Program Coordinator and an extraordinary leader whose influence has shaped countless lives. Although Michele officially
