Melissa is a dental hygiene educator at Austin Community College. She hails from San Diego and grew up playing viola in local community symphonies and chamber groups. She attended the University of Southern California and studied viola performance, creative writing, and medieval literature. She graduated with a Bachelor’s in Creative Writing in 2007.

Following her husband’s semiconductor job to Austin in 2009, Melissa began a new chapter in her life and started working at Blizzard Entertainment and going to school for dental hygiene. She graduated ACC’s Dental Hygiene Program in 2016, earning the Eileen Klein Health Science Student Achievement Award, the Preventive Dentistry Award, and the PDT Peer Recognition Award.

Unable to contain her excitement to start working in dentistry, Melissa began volunteering at Samaritan Health Ministries in the summer while waiting for her license. She initiated an affiliation agreement to allow dental hygiene students to practice under faculty supervision at the Williamson County safety net public health clinic. That fall, she joined GADHA as secretary and as a TDHA delegate in the spring finding mentorship and camaraderie in the association.

As her sights fell on education and after meeting the minimum requirement for application, Melissa went into teaching at Austin Community College. Melissa reinvented lab assignments, rotations, and used her pragmatic and expert execution skills to help students succeed in a less stressful environment. Melissa went on to earn a Master of Public Health Education and Promotion. Her teaching philosophy involves using positivity and work ethic as pillars of encouragement and strength, while investing in equitable learning environments and stress reducing strategies. As a leader, Melissa believes in genuine connections to foster strength building and confidence. Understanding that one person cannot know everything, collaboration and transparency provides the foundation of professional growth. She believes strongly in mentorship and building positive relationships while also respecting boundaries through constant reflection. She also hates AI and refuses to use it!

Melissa magically makes time to read a book a month in her horror book club, journal every day, karaoke with friends, play pickleball and basketball with her husband and son, monthly board games, multiple TTRPG games (Call of Cthuhlu, Dungeons and Dragons, and Star Trek Adventures), knitting while watching reruns of Columbo when she needs a rest, keep up with pen pals, and spend time gardening with her mother and stepfather. Melissa also hopes to some day start a dental hygiene bowling club. She recently discovered she is an extrovert.