Melanie has over 20 years of fundraising and development experience at a variety of non-profit organizations. She started as a development assistant with The Women’s Foundation of California. Later she worked at Women’s Initiative for Self Employment, raising funds from foundation, corporate, and government sources. As the Assistant Development Director at The Yosemite Fund she led individual giving campaigns for special projects in Yosemite National Park. Here Melanie discovered her passion for environmental causes. Since then, she has held Director of Development positions at As You Sow and Bay Area Open Space Council (now Together Bay Area) and most recently was the Chief Development Officer at John Muir Land Trust where she raised $6-8 million annually to acquire key conservation lands in the East Bay. She holds a BA in anthropology from San Francisco State University and lives in El Cerrito with her daughter, partner, and four adopted shelter cats. She is energized by the mission of California Fire Safe Council to create fire-resilient communities across the state.
