With over a decade of qualitative research and program evaluation experience, Melissa has built her career around understanding how people think, feel, and make decisions about complex issues. She has explored perspectives on topics ranging from opioid use disorder and harm reduction to health misinformation, hate and discrimination, and trust in media, government, and public institutions. At SSRS, Melissa leads qualitative research projects from end-to-end. She loves partnering with clients to shape research objectives and creating space for participants to share their experiences in their own words.
Melissa has served as co-chair of QUALPOR, AAPOR’s qualitative research affinity group, for three years. Before becoming a researcher, Melissa was a 5th math teacher and Girl Scout troop leader. She holds a BBA in Supply Chain Management from UT Austin and a Master of Public Health from Columbia University.
In 2024, Melissa started taking ceramics classes and quickly fell in love with wheel-throwing, hand-building, and figuring out what makes a piece work. At least once a week you can find her covered in clay debating the fine-line between a birdhouse, a cake stand, and a chip-dip bowl.