Michelle Van Der Linden was born in Santa Monica and has lived in California for most of her life. She enlisted in the California Air National Guard after graduating from Hemet High School and received her undergraduate degree in journalism from California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo. She went on to become the Public Affairs Officer for her military unit at the 163rd Air Refueling Wing, now known as the 163rd Attack Wing, located at March Air Reserve Base in Moreno Valley. In this role, she traveled the world reporting on the unit’s deployments and mission.
Upon retiring as a Captain from the military in 2005, she served as the City of Chino’s Public Information Officer, where she worked for nearly 10 years as the spokesperson for the city and the Chino Police Department. While employed with the City of Chino, she received a Master of Public Administration from California State University, Northridge. After leaving Chino, she served as the Public Information Officer with the Covina Valley Unified School District, before starting her own communications business.
Van Der Linden was appointed Spokesperson for the Orange County District Attorney's Office in 2017.