Hi, I'm Melissa, here’s a bit about my background and I am looking forward to connecting with you on LinkedIn!𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐔𝐏 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐒 🎬I grew up in a small town in South Dakota where my father was a theater professor and filmmaker, and my mother was the director of the first women’s center and domestic abuse shelter in the state. Both passed down a foundational value that service to community to be prioritized into life and work. 𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆, 𝐅𝐈𝐋𝐌 & 𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 🎥Early on, I developed strengths in acting, writing, and directing, and was hired to write and facilitate interactive training and entertainment for corporate conferences and marketing events for clients like Target, Medtronics, Macy’s, Disney, and Metlife, to name a few.𝐌𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐎 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐘𝐎𝐑𝐊 🗽🏙In September 2001, my wife and I moved to New York City. In the aftermath of the 9/11 tragedy, I saw humanity come together and support each other in ways I had never experienced. It motivated me to deeply examine my purpose and values, making it a priority to give back. I attained a teaching artist certificate at Manhattan Marymount College and began working for non-profits, conducting professional development training and strengthening school partnerships throughout the New York Public School District. 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐔𝐍𝐔𝐒𝐔𝐀𝐋 𝐒𝐔𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐑𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐀𝐍𝐘 💃🏻🕺🏻I was hired to develop youth programming at The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company on the West Coast. I developed a nationally recognized curriculum, increasing the number of youth served by over 500%. I also pursued a master’s degree in Nonprofit Management and was hired as the Executive Director at the organization. Within 5 years, I increased the annual operating budget by 160%, diversifying our private and government partnerships, and created the first financial reserve for the organization while doubling our staff. During this time, I also advanced my acting career, securing roles on Seinfeld, The Middle, Two and a Half Men, and Anger Management. If you’re looking to chat with a creative communicator and strategic problem solver who values collaboration and project development to promote human connection, growth, and meaning, then we should definitely connect on LinkedIn.Have an awesome day~Melissa