Melissa began her fundraising career for the Sarasota Ballet in 1998, followed by ten years with Sarasota Opera as Director of Development helping grow fundraising revenue from $500,000 to $2.5 million annually and completing a $20 million capital campaign to renovate the downtown 1926 historic theater.At the end of 2009, Melissa took the skills she honed in the non-profit arts sector to two Sarasota human service organizations. For the next 8 years, she effectively increased revenue and awareness for the Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida (serving 10 counties) and then for Child Protection Center, a non-profit whose mission and programs included the prevention, intervention, and treatment of child abuse. For each, she applied traditional fundraising, advocacy, and marketing practices to greatly increase visibility, connections, and funding with the help of caring individual philanthropists, grantors, corporations, and print and broadcast media.She returned briefly to the arts by way of the Van Wezel Foundation before being approached for the opportunity to serve as Executive Director for the Ear Research Foundation. She returned to Sarasota Opera as the Senior Development Officer in 2021, charged with corporate, grant, and individual leadership support. Melissa was promoted again to Director of Development in 2024, to lead a team to help advance Sarasota Opera’s philanthropic endeavors for growth and sustainability of the company’s mission and vision for the future.Melissa is originally from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where her lineage takes her back to the Stephen Hopkins historically associated with the Mayflower. She has lived in Sarasota since 1993. Melissa earned her bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing (English) from Eckerd College and a Master's in Organizational Management. She is a mother of two – now 31 and 20 years old. Ben, the oldest, is a cartoon and animation artist, and Danny, an award-winning photographer, is currently enrolled at the University of Florida in journalism and film.Melissa shares her life with Kevin, an entrepreneur and seasoned musician. She herself loves all genres of music, enjoys writing, crocheting, and camping.