About Melissa
With 34 years of corporate and nonprofit experience, Melissa has consulted national organizations, managed local chapters, provided virtual office assistance to numerous NPOs, launched and executed large fundraisers, conceived innovative and lucrative new programming, coordinated client conferences, workshops dinners, and awards functions.
She manages consulting platforms, mastermind groups and virtual roundtables to assist nonprofits to become self-sufficient and proficient in management.
Melissa’s largest project to date was Ribfest Chicago, where she was responsible for every facet of the event including festival promotion, sponsorship development, entertainment booking and vendor procurement and management. The event attracted over 70,000 people and was featured on Food Network’s “Eating America” with Anthony Anderson (2014).
Melissa is a long-time member as well as Executive Director of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Chicago Chapter. She also serves as faculty for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organization Management (IOM).
Awards and accomplishments include:
-CO-100 America’s Top 100 Small Businesses (2024)
-NAWBO Chicago Member of the Year Award (2023)
-Woman of Influence by The Chicago Business Journal (January 2016)
-NAWBO Chicago Presidential Award of Excellence (2014)
-Enterprising Women of the Year (March 2014) by Enterprising Women Magazine, and
-Influential Women in Business Award by the Daily Herald Business Ledger (2012)
Melissa completed the Nonprofit Management Essentials program through the Allstate Foundation and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern. She graduated from Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Graduate (2013), and she completed her undergraduate degree at Ohio University with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism. Her program emphasis was public relations and event planning.
