About

Melanie is an award-winning communications professional with over 20 years of cross-sector experience working with federal, state, and local governments, as well as nonprofits. 

She is currently the Executive Director of Madison Visionary Partners, a nonprofit that focuses on community projects in the City of Madison.

In her previous role, she was the Director of Public Relations for the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library (HMCPL) system, where she built the Library’s brand image and social media presence. Her efforts in promoting the Library landed the HMCPL in national publications, including the U.S. News and World Report and the Library Journal. She is also the former Director of Alabama’s oldest preservation organization - the Historic Mobile Preservation Society, located in Mobile.

When the Deepwater Horizon explosion and subsequent oil spill happened in 2010, Melanie was working in Washington, D.C.  as a public affairs officer for the Minerals Management Service, the Interior Department agency that oversees oil development for the United States. She worked directly on the response, alongside the Secretary of the Interior and the White House.  

She has worked in numerous community roles, both in a professional capacity and as a volunteer. Her passion for community building can be traced back to her roots, growing up in a small town in South Louisiana. She worked directly on recovery of the region after Hurricane Katrina by acting as an ambassador of the State of Louisiana and representing the tourism industry, the region’s second-largest economic driver.

 She uses her volunteer time to empower women through mentorship and education by serving on the Board of Directors for the Women’s Economic Development Council and the Christian Job Corps. She is an alumna of the Alabama Leadership Initiative and a former committee member of the Alabama Bicentennial.