Melinda is a Senior Fellow of the Center for High Impact Philanthropy. She also works with the senior leadership of philanthropic organizations to research and create content regarding strategies for effective philanthropy. Melinda’s clients have included the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, The Bridgespan Group, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations and the Eagles Youth Partnership—the philanthropic arm of the Philadelphia Eagles Football Team.
Previously, Melinda co-founded and managed REDF (formerly The Roberts Enterprise Development Fund) with Jed Emerson and George Roberts of KKR. REDF is a social venture capital fund that works with a portfolio of nonprofit organizations employing formerly homeless and low-income individuals in market-based business ventures. While at REDF, Melinda invested in a portfolio of fifteen nonprofit organizations running over thirty different businesses employing over 2,000 formerly homeless and low-income individuals over a seven-year period. In addition, she coordinated the design and development process for REDF’s social return on investment (SROI) framework and ongoing assessment of social impacts (OASIS).
Prior to REDF, Melinda was a manager at a national healthcare nonprofit and a management consultant specializing in growth strategies for Fortune 500 companies. Melinda has volunteered with numerous community-based organizations in Honolulu, Boston, and the San Francisco Bay Area that serve homeless and very low-income populations. Additionally, she co-founded Boston Cares, a nonprofit volunteer service organization, and was involved in the start-up of a social-mission driven company called Dayspring Technologies in San Francisco.
Melinda is recognized nationally for her work in high engagement philanthropy, foundation effectiveness, evaluation, nonprofit capacity-building, and social enterprise. She has lectured at leading business schools in the country including Stanford and Wharton, and published articles, business school cases, and book chapters. Melinda currently serves on the Board of Managers for Evergreen Lodge, a social-purpose destination resort located just outside Yosemite National Park, and the Advisory Council for REDF.
Melinda graduated from Harvard University magna cum laude with an AB in Social Studies focusing on urban poverty and homelessness and she holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. She resides in Narberth, Pennsylvania with her husband and three children.