Melissa Hill Dees A management professional with a head for business and a heart for nonprofits, it’s taken me years to decide what I want to be when I grow up. After studying computer science and marketing at Tennessee Technological University, I spent 15 years in the media, music, and publishing industries. A native of nowhere in particular, I married and moved to Decatur, Alabama in 1999. There I discovered nonprofits and served as Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of Morgan County for three years, doubling the number of houses built and increasing staff by 200%. In 2002, I became a mother and spent several years at home with my daughter before plunging back into the nonprofit world. At the Volunteer Center of Morgan County, my proudest accomplishment was the creation and execution of No Kid Hungry in Morgan County, a coalition of community partners whose goal is to eradicate childhood hunger in our community. I also championed, implemented, and administered HandsOn Connect, a volunteer management software built on the Salesforce.com platform to engage volunteers and build capacity for local nonprofits.
In early 2016, I returned to university to complete a Bachelor’s degree in Management of Technology. Six weeks later, I was offered the chance of a lifetime: a small tech company had bought the rights to sell and service HandsOn Connect and had just taken it live on the AppExchange with Salesforce.com. Over the course of the last three years, I have realized my #dreamjob. Helping clients do more good is what gets me out of bed every morning. Part of that is creating solutions for NPOs to automate what can be automated to better meet their mission goals. My love of learning keeps me exploring and I now hold three Salesforce certifications as well as being a double “Ranger” on Trailhead. Speaking at conferences and, particularly, at Dreamforce, Salesforce’s annual gathering of 170,000+ attendees, are one aspect of my role I enjoy the most.
My husband, Mitch, is a high school science teacher, and we are looking forward to his retirement in a couple of years so we can travel whenever we want! Our daughter, Sarah Caitlin, is 16, an A honor roll student, an accomplished pianist, and an award winning artist. We are all devoted to the youngest member of our household: Luna, a 4 year old Belgian shepherd rescued from the Animal Shelter. Life is short! Do what you love.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissahilldees/
Twitter: @melissahilldees
Trailhead: https://trailhead.salesforce.com/me/melissahilldees