Melissa Joins HCM’s Policy Team as a 2026 Fall Fellow
Welcome to HCM, Melissa!
Melissa is a PhD candidate in Education Policy at Teachers College, Columbia University, preparing to defend her dissertation this semester. Her mixed-methods research focuses on first-generation college students, higher education access, transfer pipelines, and the returns to postsecondary credentials. During her doctoral studies, she also worked as a researcher at the Community College Research Center, where she studied student support services and advising using diverse methodologies, including social network analysis.
Previously, Melissa served as the Director of Graduate NYC, a college access and completion initiative housed within CUNY’s Office of K-16 Initiatives. In this role, she directed the flagship College Completion Innovation Fund and led cross-sector programs with NYC Public Schools and community partners to streamline high school-to-college transitions for young people. Earlier in her career, she was the Associate Director of Partnership Support at PENCIL, where she managed a team of partnership coordinators and developed college and career readiness programming.
A lifelong Brooklynite, NYC Public School graduate, and parent of two current NYC public school students, Melissa’s commitment to education goes back to her own experiences transitioning from high school to college, finding herself feeling underprepared academically, and also discovering the range of academic experiences that her fellow students had that either prepared them, or didn’t, to be successful after high school graduation. She is drawn to HCM’s mission to transform public higher education systems at scale and ensure all students earn credentials of value.
Melissa holds a BA in psychology and history from the University of Pennsylvania and an MPA from New York University. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time in nature with friends, reading fiction, playing tennis, debating data, and cooking elaborate meals with her family.
We’re excited to welcome Melissa to the team and look forward to the insights and expertise she’ll bring to our client initiatives as we work together to drive meaningful impact in postsecondary education.
About the HCM Strategists Fellowship Program
The HCM Strategists fellowship program offers a unique opportunity for professional growth and learning by granting first-hand experience in education public policy.
Our fellowship program is open to collaborative, organized problem-solvers who have a strong interest in education policy and are passionate about improving education for all students through communications and advocacy. Our fellows are enthusiastic, innovative and strategic thinkers with excellent verbal and written communications skills, and have a strong commitment to our clients and our work in the policy field. Our fellows play an important role in supporting leaders across our education team, specifically in the areas of state and federal funding, strategic finance and accountability, reporting systems and data transparency, workforce development and career-competitive learning initiatives, advancing access and opportunity for all students, and other areas of higher education policy.
HCM Strategists is an impact-driven consulting firm that believes in the transformative power of education and work-based learning to improve social and economic mobility for communities that have been marginalized or historically underserved. Our work delivers a consequential impact on the national narrative, policy options and leaders responsible for change.
