Melissa Rivard, EdM

Melissa Rivard came to the Center on the Developing Child in 2015 and is currently the Director of Engagement Strategies. In this role, Melissa stewards the effective operation of the Partnerships and Engagements Team, aligning its work to advance the Center’s overall strategic priorities. She is responsible for the development and successful execution of its portfolio of learning engagements geared toward helping strategic audiences understand the science of early childhood development and apply those understandings to their unique contexts, opportunities, and challenges. Melissa was drawn to the Center’s commitment to bringing together diverse stakeholders in pursuit of better, more equitable outcomes for young children and brings extensive experience in designing experiences and creating the conditions that allow for deepening understanding, bridging theory and practice, and engaging in shared learning.

Prior to coming to the Center, Melissa worked for several years at Project Zero—an educational research center at the Harvard Graduate School of Education—across a range of initiatives, including a long-term collaboration between early childhood educators in Reggio Emilia and researchers and educators from the United States. She is co-author of Visible Learners: Promoting Reggio-Inspired Approaches in All Schools. She holds an EdM from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a BA from the University of Minnesota.