As the Assistant Director, Innovation Strategies, Melissa is responsible for strategically directing and overseeing implementation of the Center’s efforts around building and delivering innovator supports, and leads several of the Center’s larger innovation initiatives. Melissa joined the Center in December 2015, bringing extensive experience in program design and qualitative research, and a passion for supporting shared learning and co-creation among diverse stakeholders. Previously, she worked at Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education across a number of educational research initiatives, including a long-term collaboration between early childhood educators in Reggio Emilia and researchers and educators from the U.S. Melissa holds an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a B.A. from the University of Minnesota.