Melanie Lavelle

Melanie Lavelle is the Founder and CEO of Benefit Kitchen, an innovative web and mobile app launched in January 2015.1 The app is designed to assist low-income working families in screening for essential government benefits without compromising personal information.1

Melanie has a background in education and social work. She served as a Teacher with the Peace Corps from 1995 to 1997 and later worked as the Self-Sufficiency Project Director at the Women's Center For Education and Career Advancement from 2000 to 2007.1 Since July 1999, she has been the Director of Self-Sufficiency Solutions, focusing on software development aimed at alleviating poverty in America.1

Benefit Kitchen, under Melanie's leadership, offers to-the-dollar screening for 18 federal, state, and local benefits in eight states (AZ, CA, LA, NJ, NY, TX, VA).3 The company also provides APIs for benefit screening in all 50 states, a client relationship management system, and custom referrals to online applications.3

Melanie's work with Benefit Kitchen is driven by her determination to help people overcome obstacles and gain insight into the eligibility rules for federal, state, and local benefits.2 She has discovered that many rules and hard-to-find information are designed to discourage participation in programs, which motivates her to dig out this information and help people access necessary services and resources.2

Melanie completed her education at American University and Baruch College.14 She is based in Brooklyn and has over 500 connections on LinkedIn.4