As Chief Research & Innovation Officer, Melanie leads the development of Feeding America's Research and Innovation strategy. She focuses on developing a deeper understanding of hunger, designing effective solutions for ending hunger in America and evaluating the effectiveness of Feeding America’s work. She is responsible for ensuring that Feeding America’s research strategy, program innovation and systems change work is guided by people facing hunger, our network partners, and other key stakeholders.
Melanie has nearly two decades of experience working at the intersection of food insecurity and health. She has focused on removing barriers to health equity while advancing the strategic, programmatic, and legislative objectives of organizations that seek to improve health outcomes in marginalized communities. She has proven strength in strategic planning, staff development, advocacy, and building partnerships to support health equity programs that span the for-profit, not-for-profit, and public sectors.
Melanie spent 14 years with Kellanova (formerly known as the Kellogg Company). In her last role as Director, Wellbeing & Regulatory Research & Development, she led a cross-functional team to help marketers collaborate with retailers and NGOs to create, test, and scale programs that support wellbeing, create access to healthy food and develop a more sustainable future. Melanie also led evaluation and planning for Federal School Nutrition programs and State-Level sustainable packaging legislation. During this time, she also served on Kellanova’s People Development Council, where she focused on guiding career development programs, ensuring gender and racial equity in hiring policies and improving performance review practices. Prior to that, Melanie served as Director of Brand Marketing for Kashi Foods, and as Senior Manager, National WIC Partnerships, where she gained experience in leading teams through significant transformation and growth.
Prior to Kellanova, Melanie worked for the Public Health Institute in partnership with the California Department of Public Health as a Program Director and Health Educator.
Melanie holds a MS degree in Nutrition Communications from Tufts University and a BS degree in Nutritional Sciences from the University of California, Berkeley. Shis is also a Registered Dietician.