About Me

Melissa Skiles was raised in a suburb of Saint Louis, Missouri and moved to Chicago, Illinois where she briefly worked in the advertising and non-profit sectors before pursuing a career in education. The transition was strongly rooted in her desire to support the largely disenfranchised, urban youth population. After completing her Masters degree at DePaul University, she taught within the inner city of Chicago as a licensed Learning Behavior Specialist and special education leader in public charter high schools.  For eight years, she worked internationally as a Special Educational Needs Coordinator in Qatar, Head of Inclusion in Dubai, and Managing Director of a consultancy and training organization that specialized in inclusive practices, improvements, and strategies for international schools and leaders. Throughout this time, she has contributed to many international conferences and publications on diversity, equity, and inclusion, specifically in education. She holds additional qualifications in educational testing and adolescent mental health among others. Melissa recently returned to her home country, USA, where she now serves as the Director of Community Well-Being for an independent school in San Francisco, California