BIO - When asked, "Who is Melody," some would say a humanitarian. Other might say she is the voice of the voiceless. But if you ask her, she will tell you she is just someone who started on a journey that began as one mile, unsure at times where she was headed but was not afraid of where the journey would lead her.

Armed with tenacity and an unwavering will in making a difference, Melody founded Reaching the Youth of America, Inc. that offered emergency and temporary shelter for homeless and runaway teen mothers and their children. After 20 years of advocating for this at-risk sector of society, she has devoted herself to assisting others in their plight of serving others.

It was through the redefining of her nonprofit organization that set Melody on a course of understanding how community leaders and organization were to overcome the many obstacles and barriers they are faced with in serving their communities and neighborhoods! Moreover, the complexities of serving diverse communities and the continued struggle in securing support called for new creative and innovative ways by which these agencies could go about generating revenue streams to support their social causes.

After accepting early retirement from a fortune 500 company at the early age of 30, she went on to establish a not-for-profit advocacy organization that served the family, children, and youth in emergency situations. After 10 years, the organization was invited to network and collaborate with other organizations around the country to serve as a model in cities such as DC, NY, and LA by the late U.S. Congressman Frank Tejeda. Dedicating her skills, experiences, and expertise to a specific population, she expanded my passion to include victims of natural and man-made disasters. Thus, she has added to her professional repertoire emergency management education and training.

She earned her Masters of Arts from the University of Texas at San Antonio, where she specialized in Political Science with a focus on International Affairs. She also holds a Masters of Public Policy from the University of the Incarnate Word and attended the Brussels School of International Studies where she studied International Human Rights.