Melissa Fenton

Melissa has over 25 years of experience in the not-for-profit and corporate sectors, with expertise in fundraising, finance and operations, strategic planning, communications, real-estate, and event planning. Melissa has dedicated her career to helping underserved communities and creating sustainable business models for long-term organizational success.

Melissa has worked with senior leadership and boards of Fortune 500’s, not-for-profits and public, private, and charter schools. During her career she has held various senior executive leadership roles, including Executive Director of City Lights Youth Theatre, Chief Development & Communications Officer at Bronx Prep Charter School and Director of Individual Giving at New-York Historical Society.

She served as Principal Strategy Consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers assisting Fortune 500 companies with strategy, financial forecasting, and branding. As part of a select critical team, she executed the merger between PW and Coopers & Lybrand. She trained hundreds of MBA interns in writing and presentation skills, led on-campus recruitment efforts, and was an active leader in diversity, equity, and inclusion programming for the firm. Melissa’s civic duty began as a paralegal in the Major Economic Crimes Bureau of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, conducting fraud and racketeering investigations and second-seating trials.

Melissa leads the business development relationships and with over 100 corporate partners, executing high-caliber thought-leadership power forums and summits in finance, law, media & entertainment, tech and sports. She has grown the CUP community to over 18,000 in NY and LA and spearheaded a new annual three-day Summit in Martha’s Vineyard focused on thought leadership in investment management and entrepreneurship. She co-leads the CUP NY Fellows Program and works with the CUP NY Alumni Fellows Leadership Committee on Alumni Convenings and the Fellowship selection process.

Melissa is a singer and hails from New York City.

Education:

• Williams College, BA in English, with a concentration in Psychology
• University of Chicago, Booth School of Business, MBA, Strategy and Organizational Behavior.
• Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business, 2022 Leadership Certificate, “New Strategies Symposium – Business for Impact”

Board Service:

Williams College, Williamstown, MA:

• Served a three-year term on the Executive Committee with College President Adam Falk
• Served a three-year term on the Board of Governors as a Vice Chair
• Co-chaired the 20th and 25^th class reunions
• Served a five-year term as Class President
• Serves as a major gifts and annual fund alumni fundraiser

Bronx Preparatory Charter School, Bronx, NY:

• Secretary of the Board of Bronx Preparatory Charter School.

Sample External Speaking Engagements:

National Urban League, Martha’s Vineyard, Oak Bluffs, Civic Engagement Panel // “Economic Inclusion Is An American Imperative: Business Speaks”, 2024 – Panelist

ParentMatterz, Martha’s Vineyard, Oak Bluffs, Power Panel // “Youth Leadership & Empowerment: Pathways to Opportunity”, 2024 – Moderator

Smart City Expo USA, NY, NY, 2024 – Fireside Chat Moderator, CEO Wole Coaxum

Central Park Conservancy, Business Leadership Council Summit, NY, NY, 2024 – Featured Presenter –  Board Governance

Baron Davis Enterprises, BIG, Women in Power Leadership, Martha’s Vineyard, Oak Bluffs, 2022 – Panelist

“ParentMatterz” Youth Empowerment & Opportunity Expo, Martha’s Vineyard, 2024 – Panel Moderator

Kairos Summit, “Convening for the Culture”, Martha’s Vineyard, Oak Bluffs, 2022 –  Panelist

Awards:

2022 “Pillar Leadership Award” recipient, bestowed by the National Black MBA Association for her leadership and dedication in providing access and resources to black professionals making a social-economic impact to diverse communities.

Phat Friends Award recipient, bestowed by the All Stars Project for her extraordinary work in youth development.

Contact Melissa Fenton at [email protected].