Melissa joined Jackson Spalding in 2018 to advance our performance measurement capabilities. As head of insights and analytics, she collaborates with each of our client teams as she leads campaign optimization and refinement, helps guide strategy, and serves as an internal consultant across a vast array of analytic disciplines and functions.

Melissa most recently lived in California, where she served as the Digital Insights Manager for Guitar Center, Inc. Prior to that, Melissa was a Senior Business Analyst for Amtrak in Washington, D.C., functioning as a data expert for the marketing team. Earlier she was the sole analyst at Strayer University, evaluating their nationwide marketing program, and on a larger team at CNN, analyzing audience insights that helped inform the network’s programming.

A native of Miami, Fla., Melissa earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Criminology from Florida State University. As a fan of military history and crime novels, she thought this educational combination might set her up for a career in the FBI. She re-evaluated that career path and went on to pursue a Masters in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Hofstra University. Her degrees taught her how to think critically, find solutions, and make changes – which is essentially what she does today in the digital and traditional media space.

As the only child of a firefighter/paramedic, Melissa learned early how to be independent, prepared and resourceful. Those traits line up with her outside interests which skew toward education and exploration: reading, traveling, and hiking (along with intermittent Netflix binges). It makes sense that her personal characteristics and hobbies would align with a career in analytics.

She’s a rabid sports fan who cheers loudest for the Seminoles and anything out of Pittsburgh, her Dad’s hometown.