Melissa, a native of New Orleans, became involved in public education post-Katrina and found a passion in helping organizations lay a solid foundation for financial operations and management. After being certified in nonprofit finance by the Kellogg School of Management Melissa went on to assist in the formation of many charter schools and other local education non-profits. Prior to joining LAPCS, Melissa was the founding director of operations and finance at New Schools for New Orleans. She also spent nearly four years as an independent non-profit consultant with expertise in finance and operations. Prior to joining the education industry, Melissa spent more than ten years in finance and operations with local companies.