Services

I partner with mission-driven CEOs to build systems and remove barriers so they can focus on their top priorities and achieve ground-breaking impact.

Fractional Chief of Staff

For CEOs

I partner with CEOs to drive strategic planning and execution, ensuring priorities are translated into actionable, measurable outcomes. I streamline operations, manage cross-functional projects, and implement scalable systems that enhance efficiency and alignment, allowing leaders to focus on high-impact decisions.

  • Audit of how you are currently working to identify highest priority gap areas in your energy, impact and support.

  • Clarify your top priorities and manage execution to ensure projects stay on track.

Performance Management + Employee Engagement

For HR Leaders and Executives

A strong performance management and employee engagement strategy go hand in hand—ensuring your team is not only productive but also motivated and invested in your organization’s success. I help organizations design and refine scalable systems that reduce administrative burden, foster meaningful feedback, and drive employee retention.

  • Root-cause analysis of your current performance management and employee engagement systems that identifies the highest-impact areas for improvement.

  • Tailored design of your performance management and engagement strategy, integrating frameworks, scalable systems, and change management for lasting impact.

  • Guidance on building an organizational culture of feedback and the accountability systems that drive excellence.

Leadership Development

For People Managers, Teams and Executives

Skill-based learning + growth opportunities is still one of the top reasons employees join, or leave, organizations. Especially in the current climate, you need a thoughtful and varied approach to upskill your employees, deepen team effectiveness, and quickly ramp-up up People Managers.

  • Tailored workshops to upskill your first-time and/or middle managers on topics like giving feedback, inclusive decision-making frameworks, managing team execution, and goal-setting.

  • One-on-one coaching tailored for new people managers or those stepping into leadership roles, designed to build confidence and develop essential leadership skills.

  • A learning sequence tailored to new managers to help them understand the key foundations of management

  • Tailored workshops and retreats to enhance specific skills within your team and build community. Leave each team experience feeling more connected and energized for the work ahead.

Why Work With Me?

Expertise in innovative, agile approaches to work, with a focus on evolving outdated HR practices into impactful, equitable, and streamlined systems.

  • Nearly 15 years as a strategic HR Leader within highly ambitious mission-driven organizations

  • Designed and implemented a Performance Management approach for a 250-person organization. Achieved a 90% success rate in staff reporting that performance conversations clarified their strengths, growth areas, and progress toward goals.

  • Implemented an org-wide engagement strategy including an analysis of key trends and coaching Executives to take action. This led to a highly engaged organization, above the non-profit benchmark, and a 91% survey participation rate.

  • Led development experiences such as staff Onboarding, People Manager Training, and Team Retreat Facilitation

What Others Say

  • Melissa brings a systems-thinking approach to the deeply human work of people and culture management. Her ability to implement efficient and effective systems supports people managers to both save time and have quality supports in the tricky work of managing people. By eliminating the noise, Melissa helps teams get down to what changes or choices will be most transformative. My favorite part of working with Melissa is the sly humor she brings to all of her work - she makes work light while never making light of serious work.

    Kait Sweetman, VP of Technology + Data

  • I can't count the number of times members of our HR team said something akin to "if we want it done and done well, put it in Melissa's hands." Melissa is an equity-driven, systems builder. She doesn't just keep the ship running, she builds it so that it simply can't sink. Melissa has an insatiable curiosity, which drives her ability to design processes and systems that look beyond the current state to what might be needed in the future. She does so with a relentless demand for centering the needs of people, but without comprising business outcomes. I would hire her again in a heartbeat. If you need operational order that will sustain your organization for the long term and make your people feel seen and heard, Melissa is your person.

    Lynnae Hill, Executive HR Advisor

  • Over the past eight years, I have had the privilege of working closely with Melissa, and I can confidently say she is one of the most exceptional professionals I've ever encountered. Her dedication to making an impact for good is not just a tagline—it’s the guiding principle behind everything she does. Melissa has an unparalleled ability to bring clarity and precision to even the most complex challenges. She is detail-oriented and results-driven, with a talent for transforming abstract ideas into actionable strategies. Her approach is deeply human-centered. She doesn’t just implement systems; she fosters environments where people and organizations thrive. If you’re looking for someone who can not only simplify challenges but also drive real behavior change and organizational transformation, Melissa is the person to call.

    Cristina Groff, Managing Director of Human Assets

  • Over the past eight years I have known Melissa to be an expert in unpacking the ambiguous and thornier questions of talent development and performance management with care and clarity. She can illuminate for others the opportunity in the uncertainty which makes her invaluable as a thought-partner. At OneGoal she designed and led people manager trainings which helped people managers throughout the organization get better in writing performance reviews, understanding talent data and supporting their teams. In my own experience I found Melissa to be reliable and thorough in her approach to planning and delivering such content and launching new structures. Any organization or leader would benefit greatly from her ability to translate HR into action and employee engagement.

    Stephanie Flores, Managing Director of Regional Operations