Community Impact
IFAH Top 100 Healthcare Leaders (2020 & 2021)
Melissa has been recognized by the International Forum on Advancements in Healthcare as one of the Top 100 Leaders transforming healthcare for 2020 and 2021. IFAH (previously known as the Smart Health Conference) is one of the world’s leading healthcare conferences that explores the latest innovations in the industry. It has served as a unique platform that convenes entrepreneurs, innovators, and thought leaders by offering opportunities for learning, networking, and growth.
American Red Cross
Melissa is a Resiliency Co-Lead for the American Red Cross Support to the Armed Forces (SAF) Division for the Palmetto South Carolina Region. Through this position, she travel around the country facilitating mental health and well-being workshops for our active duty military, veterans and their families (children age 2 thru veterans in their 90’s). She is responsible for expanding programming to integrate services that previously did not exist to grow these important initiatives.
Resiliency Clinic Supporting Frontline Workers
Melissa was a key leader in the design and coordination of the Medical University of South Carolina’s (MUSC) Resiliency Clinic providing free emotional and mental health care to all care team members/front line workers during the COVID pandemic. She created numerous materials that were disseminated internationally to help other medical centers and hospital systems care for their employees as well as treatment materials helping individuals reduce anxiety and sleep better during such a time of unrest.
Founding Partner & Chief Wellbeing Officer at Kadence Group
Kadence Group challenges the status quo of entrepreneurial burnout. They’re on a mission to enhance the wellbeing of entrepreneurs through cohort-based learning, world-class coaching, and alumni community support. Kadence Group believes that founders who invest in their own wellbeing ultimately invest in that of their businesses, families, and communities. It’s an ecosystem that starts and ends with healthy leaders sowing healthy seeds that flourish and grow into meaningful business–and personal–outcomes.
Birch Cove Collective
As an executive member of the Birch Cove Collective serving as the Head of Well-Being Programs, Melissa is integral to advising, building and developing Birch Cove’s professional expertise in well-being, in addition to enhancing their capability in both pre-designed and custom well-being programs for their clients. Melissa is one of Birch Cove’s senior advisors, executive program directors, and speakers while also being their resident expert in: sleep, anxiety, stress, and trauma. Melissa advances content development related to behaviors in business, effective communication, healthy coping skills, creating balance, managing difficult personalities, realistic degrees of perfection, overcoming negativity in business, navigating really really hard conversations, and professionally managing chronic stress.
Lakeside Animal Rescue
Melissa is passionate about helping dogs find their “fur-ever” homes and loves being a dog foster for Lakeside Animal Rescue. Click here to learn more about ways you can foster, adopt and help support this important cause!
Psychological Assessment Resources (PAR)
As a healthcare clinical assessment advisor for Psychological Assessment Resources (PAR), Melissa brings decades of expertise, healthcare experience and product knowledge to answer questions, provide support and assist with assessment and training needs to help healthcare providers achieve cost effective, efficient, best practices for all of their clients and patients.
Medical University of South Carolina
Melissa maintains an active academic career as an Associate Professor providing clinical services, conducting federally funded research (including 20+ years in Northern Ireland and South Africa and as a Visiting Research Professor at Ulster University) and as the Director of Continuing Education, Community and Alumni Relations for MUSC’s Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences. She was integral in developing and coordinating one of the first COVID-19 Resiliency Clinics worldwide.
The Citadel – The Military College of South Carolina
Melissa enjoys serving as an Adjunct Professor at The Citadel. She instructs graduate students pursuing a Masters in Counseling on psychological therapeutic interventions and the treatment of sleep disorders.
Alumni Advisory Board Member for the UIUC Department of Psychology
This board assists the Department of Psychology in strengthening its activities to ensure that both undergraduate and graduate programs remain competitive and offer their students the skills and job opportunities necessary for them to be successful post-graduation. Over the last 10 years, the advisory board has worked closely with faculty, staff, alumni, and other U of I service groups to create a host of programs and events tailored to go beyond the academic rigors of the Department. In response to the critical budget crisis impacting the Psychology Department, the Shape the Future Fund was created 6 years ago to help offset the budget shortfall, has generated over $140,000, and has helped over 20 undergraduate psychology students receive need-based funding for internships.
Advisory Board Member at Better Sleep
Melissa serves in an advisory capacity for Better Sleep, an organization that provides individual and/or group sleep coaching by licensed mental health providers utilizing CBT-I and ACT techniques.
Board of Governors Member at Harbour Club
Melissa serves on Harbour Club‘s board of governors specifically supporting member acquisition and retention.
Accelarise Chief Wellbeing Officer
As a Health & Wellbeing Strategist for Accelarise, Melissa plays a key advisory role for the organization partnering with clients helping inform world-class health and wellbeing business planning for high performing teams and brands. To learn more, click here.