Melissa (she/her) brings seven years of nonprofit program management experience to her role as Health Equity Manager. Over the past decade, Melissa has nurtured her passion for working with marginalized populations, including people experiencing homelessness, people who use drugs, and the LGBTQ+ community.

A key milestone in her journey was the incubation and launch of Hey719, a free and affirming HIV/STI testing program, during her time at Southern Colorado Health Network. This program—operated by and for queer people—has been instrumental in reducing barriers to care and providing critical sexual health services to those who have faced discrimination and mistreatment because of their gender and sexual identities.

In addition, Melissa has worked with outreach teams, including Street Supplies, a nonprofit formerly based in Manitou Springs, and Love Alive, a harm reduction program of Southern Colorado Health Network. Through these initiatives, she distributed essential supplies, implemented harm reduction strategies, and engaged communities to identify needs and inform the creation of the first syringe access program in Colorado Springs.

Melissa also served on two CHP committees prior to joining the team as an employee, including the CPAR Harm Reduction Workgroup and the Prism Advisory Council.

Melissa is skilled in community outreach and building and motivating teams, in addition to program development. Her work is driven by a deep commitment to reducing stigma around essential health services and centering people most impacted by a problem when devising solutions.

Outside of work, Melissa finds inspiration in hiking, curating playlists, engaging with new ideas and projects, and trying NYT five-star recipes.