Melissa Garza

Melissa Garza has a diverse work experience spanning over a decade. Melissa currently works as a Project Manager at DAWSON since 2019. Prior to this, they were associated with Innové from 2014, where they held various roles including Project Manager and Project Management Associate. In these positions, they demonstrated expertise in project budgeting, scheduling, team onboarding, resource allocation, and coordination. Melissa also provided leadership to cross-functional teams and evaluated training needs. Melissa supported project managers with resource assignments and work progress tracking, prepared status reports and project presentations at Innové.

Before Innové, Melissa worked as a Program Facilitator at Presbyterian Mo-Ranch Assembly from 2010 to 2014. Here, they provided support for conferences, developing conference content, overseeing timelines, managing logistics, and supervising seasonal staff.

Melissa began their career as a Resource Development/Volunteer Specialist at Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation - AmeriCorps VISTA in 2008. In this role, they researched funding opportunities, completed applications, and managed volunteer and donor databases.

Their initial professional experience came from AmeriCorps National Community Civilian Core (NCCC) from 2007 to 2007. As a Corps Member, they completed over 1,800 hours of community service, focusing on projects such as environmental rehabilitation, disaster relief, construction, and trail building.

Overall, Melissa's work experience showcases their skills in project management, leadership, resource allocation, and community service.

Melissa Garza earned a Bachelor's Degree in Anthropology from Texas A&M University, where they studied from 2001 to 2006. Melissa later pursued a Master of Business Administration (MBA) at LSU Shreveport, with studies ongoing until 2021. Melissa also holds several additional certifications, including a Certified Nonprofit Professional (CNP) from Nonprofit Leadership Alliance, obtained in February 2016; a Certified Lean Practitioner from Transformance Advisors Inc., obtained in May 2021; and a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from Project Management Institute, obtained in October 2017.