Melissa is the Senior Director of Communications, Public Affairs at Harvard University.  As a member of Harvard’s Public Affairs and Communications team, Melissa works to advance the university’s mission-driven work and partnerships in Harvard’s host communities and beyond.  Prior to joining Harvard, she was Chief of Staff to the President and CEO of Boston Medical Center Health System where she was responsible for advising the CEO and health system leadership on a range of internal and external issues and initiatives, and ensuring the strategic coordination of the CEO’s activities and engagements.  She also served in senior corporate communications roles at the biopharmaceutical company EMD Serono, and Rasky Baerlein, one of New England’s premier PR firms with offices in Boston and Washington DC, where she led the Non-Profit, Healthcare & Education practice.

 

Melissa received her bachelor’s degree in public relations from Syracuse University and lives on the South Shore with her husband and two daughters.