As a Southern California native, Melissa has thrived in Higher Education and Community Organizing efforts for over 15 years and is excited to bring her skills and training to the role. She holds a BS from UC Davis (Community and Regional Development), MA from Sacramento State (Higher Education Leadership) and executive certificate from Sacramento’s Entrepreneurship Academy (Entrepreneurship). Outside of working for the center, Melissa enjoys running her emerging entertainment company that centers freelance producing, storytelling, and acting in Black-centric visual projects.

Currently, Melissa is utilizing her voice to advocate for equity and inclusion as a community member for the BEST committee for the Sacramento Rainbow Chamber of Commerce and sits on the Visit Sacramento 2021 LGBTQ advisory board. As a wife, stepparent, and artist, Melissa values work that creates visibility and affirmation for the most vulnerable voices and is proud to join a team whose mere framework holds social justice at its core. In her downtime, you can catch Melissa listening to her favorite podcast(The READ), travelling with her family and friends, and finding new ways to do her hair because “Black Girl Magic” is life!