Melissa Galvez is an experienced storyteller with a background in public policy, specifically education.

Melissa has served as the Director of Communications and the Director of Marketing Operations and Implementation at Relay Graduate School of Education, a non-profit institution of higher education that prepares teachers and leaders to build a more just world where every student has a clear path to a fulfilling life. Melissa has worked to showcase new voices on the blog, share best practices in leadership through the Follow the Leaders series, manage other media projects such as op eds by President Mayme Hostetter, and continue to refine messaging and usability of the Relay website.

Prior to Relay, Melissa worked on similar communications projects for BetterLesson, and before that, as Senior Editor for Content and Distribution at Education Resource Strategies, a nonprofit organization that partners with large urban school systems to transform how they use their resources to prepare every child for tomorrow. She wrote or edited over 80 reports, blogs, or commentaries for ERS, created and implemented content distribution plans (including media outreach), managed the monthly newsletter, and worked closely with ERS leadership on goal setting and branding.

Prior to ERS, Melissa graduated with a masters in public policy from at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, where she studied social policy with a focus on education. She also studied how the internet has affected journalism, politics, and government, completing an independent project on what makes social action campaigns “go viral” on the Web. Her masters capstone project focused on nonprofit growth and site expansion.

While at HKS, Melissa was selected for News21, a summer fellowship sponsored by the Carnegie-Knight Foundation to promote innovation in journalism. Along with a team from Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, Melissa reported on aging in America, from care-giving to the graying workplace.

Before graduate school, Melissa was a reporter for KUHF Houston Public Radio, the NPR affiliate in Houston. She reported on a variety of topics, including politics, environmental issues, health care, and transportation (As a part of Transportation Nation, a consortium of public radio stations.) She also started the Exploring Houston series, which highlights unique stories in Houston neighborhoods. 

She has received an Edward R. Murrow Award (1st place, Audio Feature Reporting, for Texas/ Oklahoma Large Market Radio) as well as honors from the Texas Associated Press Broadcasters (2nd place), the Texas Medical Association (Winner, Large Market Radio and In-Depth Radio), and the Houston Press Club (1st place, 3rd place, and two 2nd place awards).

Prior to reporting, Melissa was an 8th grade English Language Arts teacher with Teach for America in Houston, and worked for other education nonprofits in marketing roles.

Melissa has also built her leadership skills through projects she pursued outside of work. As a PresenTense fellow (now dissolved and part of UpStart), Melissa studied social entrepreneurship and worked on a project to imagine how senior citizens could better access personalized transportation options (something like Uber or Lyft). She also served as the chair of Havurah on the Hill, an all-volunteer group that builds community among Jewish young adults by organizing Shabbat services and dinner at the historic Vilna Shul.

Melissa graduated magna cum laude with a degree in history from Princeton University, where she directed the play No Exit at Theatre Intime. She is fan of flamenco dance, theater, Krav Maga, and international travel.