Melissa is a White, cis-gendered, able bodied, heterosexual, woman, working middle class.

Melissa’s passion for working with children grew through exploring Pacific Northwest forests with young learners. She has earned a BA in Biology (focused on invertebrate ecology) from Lewis and Clark College, and a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Portland State University. Melissa has worked as an early education consultant, presented research internationally, collaborated with educators in Reggio Emilia as a part of a pedagogical leadership cohort, and worked as an adjunct faculty in the ECE Graduate program at PSU. In addition to work with the Threads of Justice Collective, Melissa has been a classroom preschool teacher for over a decade. In her teaching, Melissa is committed to anti-bias work and inclusion, making thinking visible, children’s emotional intelligence, and helping to co-create, with children, strong and supportive communities that learn and think together. When not with children you can find Melissa spending time with her new baby! Or with her family, outside: sailing, hiking, canoeing, working in their garden, walking their dog and appreciating uncharismatic microfauna (bugs!).