About the consultant

With a career that began in international development and evolved into product management and leading operations as COO, Melissa brings a rare blend of human-centric empathy and high-stakes operational rigor to every consulting engagement. Having led the end-to-end operational launch of companies like Maui Grown Remedies—Hawaii’s first licensed hemp processor—Melissa specializes in navigating complex regulatory environments to bring impactful products to market.

Education and Training 

Melissa has a Master’s degree specializing in the Global Economy from the Institute of Social Studies in the The Hague, The Netherlands. She also conducted Graduate studies at the University of Chicago in the Department of Political Science specializing in The Politics of Wealth Redistribution.

She holds dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and English Literature in addition to supplemental teaching certifications through the University of Cambridge. 

Melissa is well versed in quantitative and qualitative analysis including leveraging programming language and analytical tools (ie. Looker, Tableau, STATA) to conduct meaningful data analysis.