Michelle Yvonne “Shelly” Wert, 50, of Huntingtown passed away October 15, 2023 in Ft. Myers, Florida. She was born February 9, 1973 in Washington, D.C. to Wilfred Irving and Carol Teresa (Osborn) Smith. She was raised in Clinton and enjoyed going to their family farm with her dad. Shelly graduated from Canterbury High School in Accokeek, MD in 1991. She was then the first person in her family to attend college and graduated from the College of Southern Maryland with a degree in accounting in 1999. She was currently employed with the USDA Rural Development, Innovation Center as the Faith-Based and neighborhood partnerships coordinator. During her career with the USDA, Michelle has many achievements. The main ones being Rural Development (RD) liaison for Special Emphasis Programs – Asian American Pacific Islander and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender. She served on the United States Interagency Council for Homelessness with members from HUD and Justice, directed an agency-wide and National Civil Rights Provided and Community Outreach Program leadership for the agency on partnerships, conferences, and funding. Shelly also provided leadership and guidance on the Agency’s responsibilities under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and American with Disabilities Act of 1990. She was responsible for RMA EECO and civil rights programs, including the Special Emphasis Program. She coordinated the development of the RMA Affirmative Employment Plan (AEP), Civil Rights Implementation Plan (CRP) and the White House Report on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), Tribal Colleges and Universities, and the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU).  She oversaw appointing, training and coordination activities of EEO counselor, SEP managers and Civil Rights Council members. Finally, Michelle represented the agency (USDA) on budgetary matters in dealing with other agencies in the Department, Office of Budget and Program Analysis (OBPA), Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Congressional Appropriations and other committees, including the General Accounting Office, and the Congressional Budget. Michelle truly loved her job and was proud of all the accomplishments she had.

She also loved taking care of others and being with her family. She visited Starbucks daily, and the employees knew her order when she got there. She loved baking, red wine, singing, getting her nails done, and going to Clear Water Beach, Florida. She had an infectious laugh that you could hear from a mile away.

Michelle is survived by children Alexus Langham and Nicholas Wert, both of Chesapeake Beach. Granddaughter Charlotte Langham, mother Carol Smith of North Beach and her boyfriend William “Billy” Murphy and his family. She was preceded in death by her father Wilfred Smith.

Please join Michelle’s family at Rausch Funeral Home on Saturday, December 2 to celebrate the life of this amazing woman. A reception will be held following the service at Abner’s Crab House, 3748 Harbor Road, Chesapeake Beach, MD 20732.

In lieu of flowers, the family is asking for donations to be made to the Farm Rescue Foundation in Michelle’s name. The Farm Rescue Foundation is a Non-Profit organization that provides assistance to farmers and ranchers stricken by an unexpected major illness, injury or natural disaster. Michelle was extremely passionate about protecting and providing for the farmers throughout the country. Donations can be made through their website listed below.