Melissa M.

Melissa is a passionate and empathetic leader. Previously served as Chief of Staff at a growth stage (private equity backed) technology company, where she honed her skills in change management, process improvement, strategic planning, executive level decision making, and diversity and belonging execution.

Coming to vChief from her most recent post, Melissa redesigned the organization’s reporting structure, designed and implemented the performance management system, and created the first blind recruiting and hiring process for the organization to reduce bias and increase diversity.

Prior to ThinkCERCA, Melissa spent the majority of her career education with The University of Chicago Urban Teacher Education Program, managing recruitment and retention, and with OneGoal- Chicago, as the Director of School Partnerships, where she grew partnerships year over year with new and returning partners.

Melissa thrives in project management, operational sustainability, market analysis and research, strategic planning, and building strong relationships with stakeholders. She approaches all angles of her work and communication with a collaborative and empathetic lens. Melissa is a proud graduate of Carnegie Mellon University (MS) and Denison University (BA). She lives in Chicago with her husband and son.