Michele Kaplan received a bachelor’s in elementary education, with a minor in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from Florida International University. She taught for Miami-Dade Public County Public Schools for six years. After her son was born with Fragile X syndrome, she co-founded Families for Fragile X in 2008, a non-profit that created a safe support system, awareness in the community and raised funds to further scientific research. In 2018, Michele co-founded Steps for Success, a home-school-away-from-home program dedicated to teaching independent living skills to young adults with developmental disabilities, including Fragile X. Michele also serves on the board for Friendship Circle Miami, a foundation bringing friendship to individuals that have special needs.

Michele is married to Paul Kaplan. Together, they are paving the way for Matthew (who was diagnosed at 14 months) and all those affected by Fragile X syndrome. Most importantly, Michele is a mom to three children: Rachel, Matthew, and Alyson.