What the mission means to Melissa
That knowledge pushes me to find connections across program areas because young children — and their parents and caregivers — don’t live single-issue lives. It pushes me to think across policy, law, and culture because advocating for children and families requires work on multiple fronts. And it reminds me to find and create joy in movement work because young children embody the humor and hope we need to sustain us.
Professional Background
Melissa is a prominent national leader in the care and economic justice movements, harnessing the collective power of advocates, lawmakers, and impacted communities to elevate child care and family economic security as priorities.
She previously served as the Vice President for Income Security and Child Care/Early Learning at the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) overseeing advocacy, policy, and public education strategies to ensure that all women and families have the income and supports that they need to thrive. Before joining NWLC, Melissa spent nearly a decade leading the Poverty to Prosperity Program at the Center for American Progress (CAP) where she led efforts to protect antipoverty programs, center the voices and experiences of people most impacted by economic inequality, and drive development and enactment of innovative solutions to expand economic opportunity for struggling families. She also served as policy editor for The Shriver Report and worked at the Jewish Council for Public Affairs on interfaith anti-poverty initiatives. Melissa has testified before Congress and frequently serves as a media spokesperson on issues relating to child care and economic opportunity.
A Harry Truman and George J. Mitchell Scholar, she has a Master’s of Public Policy from George Washington University, a master’s of Equality Studies from University College Dublin where she studied women in social movements, and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Maryland in government and Spanish.
Future Vision
Melissa will harness the expertise and relationships of ZERO TO THREE to build power and win policies that support babies’ and toddlers’ healthy development. Her vision is a world where the needs of our youngest children – and the parents and caregivers they rely on – are front and center in policy and practice, laying the foundation for a stronger future for everyone.
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