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Melissa received her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology in 1998 and her Masters of Education in Counseling in 2020. She began her professional career at Pathways Community Behavioral Health in Jefferson City, MO from July 2000- April 2002.  From there she went to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) in April 2002 until December of 2018. She worked at DHSS in various positions and capacities.  She began in the Bureau of HIV, STD, and Hepatitis where she focused on the intervention and prevention of the spread of STDs and HIV. Melissa began her position managing the Missouri State Office of Rural Health in April of 2013. In this role she is responsible for writing and providing direct oversight of four grants with the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) for the Office of Primary Care and Rural Health.  Melissa began her position as the Executive Director for the Missouri Rural Health Association in January of 2019.  She was responsible for implementing Board decisions and policies; strategic, program and operations planning; overseeing grant administration, internal and external leadership; and managing network and community relationships.  Additionally, she was ultimately responsible for budgetary management; policies and procedures; and, selection, development and performance management of staff through the respective Missouri Rural Health Association Directors.

mlvxrn@health.missouri.edu

Nancy grew up in Virginia Beach, VA, but has called Missouri home for more than 25-years. Her interest in social justice, public health and prevention peaked while working at a local public housing authority many years ago. Since then, Nancy has spent years working to further social justice and public health efforts in mid-Missouri. Most recently Nancy has been coordinating and providing training for the Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. She is extremely passionate about helping others and creating lasting social change in our state.

nafzgq@health.missouri.edu

Becky Lenon joined ThinkFirst Missouri as the Business Office and Grant Manager in April 2018. Her background with Missouri Department of Transportation brings several years of professional experience with grant contracts, budget balancing and distributions. She served as a spokesperson for the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety through MoDOT, a ThinkFirst partner in Highway Safety. Becky owned and operated a weekly newspaper in Macon County, Missouri for over 16 years. In addition to her duties as office manager, she will also be assisting with the monthly ThinkFirst Missouri Traffic Offender’s Program.

lenonr@health.missouri.edu