As the Director of Events at the Just Transition Fund, Melissa leads the events and convening strategies, where she plays a key role in fostering community and knowledge-sharing within the transition field. With more than a decade of experience in nonprofit leadership and event management, Melissa has a strong background in promoting collaboration and advancing environmental justice.

Prior to joining JTF in 2022, she worked in higher education administration at Virginia Tech and the University of Tennessee, focusing on community-building and leadership development for students. Her earlier roles included fundraising and administrative leadership positions at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida and the Tennessee Clean Fuels Coalition.

Melissa’s passion for environmental protection began in her college years, where a class on environmental justice opened her eyes to the intersection of justice and environmental protection, particularly for low-income and minority communities. This sparked a lifelong commitment to addressing environmental and economic challenges through a lens of justice. She further deepened her expertise while completing a Master’s in Applied Environmental Anthropology at Northern Arizona University, where she explored how the climate crisis intersects with economic issues, especially for communities reliant on fossil fuel and industrial sectors.

Melissa began her career in the Anthropology and American Indian Liaison program at Yosemite National Park, which laid the foundation for her environmental advocacy work. Her work was recognized with the Carleton T. Hodge Award for Excellence in Anthropology and the Excellence in Service Award from Yosemite National Park. 

She lives in Durham, NC and outside of work, you can find her walking her dog, Ragnar, rock climbing, and writing and performing sketch comedy and taking improv classes at her local comedy theater.

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