Michelle Melendez is a highly respected strategic social impact executive with a successful track record of brokering complex partnerships and leading cross-functional teams. She has extensive experience in revenue and in-kind partnership management and a talent for driving efficiency and revenue. Melendez is an expert presenter and negotiator with the ability to forge strong and long-lasting relationships with key stakeholders. Additionally, she is an accomplished voice-over artist, primarily focused on social impact and educational videos.

Melendez studied Political Science at Bradley University and took courses at The University of Chicago - Booth School of Business. She founded Leaf Partners, LLC and held several senior executive positions at organizations such as GlobalCitizen and Change.org, working on special initiatives, enterprise partnerships, and business development. She also worked as Audio Guide Program Manager at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Associate Researcher at MarketingSherpa, Inc., and Program Manager at Taproot Foundation. Melendez also has experience in retail, as a Marketing and Retail Development Consultant at Tory Burch and as General Manager at John Varvatos Enterprises.

Melendez has expertise in strategic project planning and execution, remote training, and mentorship programs, high-value financial and contract negotiations, recruitment, team building, and leadership development, among others. She has a proven track record of steering influential relationships and delivering solutions from ideation to evaluation. Her core skills revolve around process re-design, change management, and executive relationship management.