Melissa spent 25 years working in public education in Fairfield County, CT and most recently in Westchester County, NY. She began her career as a social studies teacher and for the last twenty years served as an administrator. In her work as an administrator, Melissa was a member of building and district level security and crisis management teams, experiences that have helped her to see and understand the challenges of school security from a variety of perspectives. Melissa built strong relationships with local law enforcement agencies in analyzing security procedures and helping to develop district wide protocols and drill plans that aligned with state requirements. Melissa also worked closely with school clinicians and counseling staff to identify students in need of risk assessments and to provide support plans and resources for these students and the staff that served them. A longtime resident of Fairfield County, Melissa currently divides her time between Ballston Spa, NY and Poultney, VT homes she shares with her three dogs.