Melissa is the Executive Director of the National Trafficking Sheltered Alliance. Melissa has her Master’s degree in International Development from Eastern University and has worked in the anti-trafficking field for over ten years at both the local and national level. For nearly eight years, Melissa worked in a direct service role at a long-term restoration home for survivors, where she noticed firsthand how service providers often felt siloed in their work. It was through this experience that Melissa realized the importance of building bridges and cultivating collaboration- forming a national community led by the belief that we rise by lifting others. As the Executive Director of NTSA, Melissa has had the opportunity to see the diversity of programs supporting survivors across the US and share with the service providers on the ground about the needs, challenges, and wins they experience for survivors in their programs. Before joining the anti-trafficking field, Melissa worked in advocacy and policy, supporting issues related to hunger and poverty.
