Melissa Fenton

Executive Director

Melissa has over 25 years of experience in the not-for-profit and corporate sectors, with deep experience 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 executive leadership roles, including Executive Director of City Lights Youth Theatre, Director of Individual Giving at New-York Historical Society, and Chief Development & Communications Officer at Bronx Prep Charter School. 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. She served as Principal Strategy Consultant with Pricewaterhouse Coopers assisting Fortune 500 companies and higher education institutions with strategy, financial forecasting, and planning. 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 participated in diversity, equity, and inclusion programming for the firm. 

Melissa has over 25 years of experience in the not-for-profit and corporate sectors, with deep experience 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 leads the business development relationships with over 100 corporate partners, executing high-caliber thought-leadership programs in finance, law, media & entertainment, tech and sports. She has grown the CUP community to over 18,000 in NY and LA. She co-leads the CUP NY Fellows Program, and works with the CUP NY Alumni Fellows Leadership Committee on alumni Convenings, selection process and events.

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 executive leadership roles, including Executive Director of City Lights Youth Theatre, Director of Individual Giving and Membership (10,000) at the New-York Historical Society, and Chief Development & Communications Officer at Bronx Prep Charter School. 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.

She served as a Principal Strategy Consultant with Pricewaterhouse Coopers assisting Fortune 500 companies and higher education institutions with strategy, financial forecasting, and planning. 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 participated in diversity, equity, and inclusion programming for the firm.

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

For Williams College, Melissa has served a three-year term on the Executive Committee, a three-year term on the Board of Governors as a Vice Chair, co-chaired her 20th and 25th reunions, and is a major gifts and annual fund alumni fundraiser. She served as Secretary of the Board of Bronx Preparatory Charter School. 

She is the recipient of the 2022 “Pillar Leadership Award” bestowed by the National Black MBA Association for her leadership and dedication in providing access and resources to black professionals making social-economic impact to diverse communities. Melissa is also the recipient of the Phat Friends Award from the All Stars Project for her extraordinary work in youth development. Melissa is a singer and hails from New York City. 

Contact Melissa Fenton at mfenton@cupusa.org.