Melisa's been happily married to Daniel for 23 years. She resides in Hilliard, Ohio with two wonderful girls, Madison (19) who just started her freshman year at OU, and Abigail (14) who is an eighth grader at Weaver Middle School and their dog Shadow. Melisa received her Bachelors in Education from the University of Rio Grande and her Masters in Education from Mary Grove University. She started her teaching career substituting. My first position was at Sunrise Academy (Islamic/Arabic School) teaching second grade.

Melisa has taught second grade now for 25 years, 23 of which have been with Hilliard City Schools. She is just as passionate about inclusivity and global connection with her family of learners as she was her first-year teaching. Melisa was privileged to receive two awards: Educator of Excellence Award through Hilliard City Schools in 2018, and Global Teacher of the Year Award in 2020. She had the honor of being featured in several magazines: Education Week (featured on the cover), STEM ED (based in Australia), and French STEM. Her ideas were also highlighted in several educational books. One that stands out is her daughter Abby’s story told from her perspective as a Down Syndrome child in a public elementary school in True Stories: Lessons that One Kid Taught Us.

When not teaching Melisa enjoys spending time with my family, playing and watching softball, running, going on walks, and vacationing at the beach. She also enjoys raising money for The Down Syndrome Association of Central Ohio and the Stephanie Spielman Breast Cancer Foundation.