Melinda has built a career around telling stories clearly, succinctly and in a compelling way. She has worked more than 25 years in the communications industry crafting the stories of people and companies for Sprint, Bayer Corporation, Lee Apparel Co., Compass Minerals and Piper Jaffray. Melinda has earned a reputation for using her public relations skills to create the right nuanced strategy to help organizations succeed.

Melinda began her career in the ad agency world, honing the creative skills, strategic thinking and writing talent necessary to deliver results for her clients. She later transferred those skills to the corporate environment, where, during her 16 years at Sprint, she served as a company spokesperson and local media relations liaison on topics that included crisis events, product launches and major corporate initiatives. She also conducted media relations training for the company’s leadership and subject matter experts. Melinda was also the principal of her own company, Mint Communications, developing PR programs to promote talented individuals, innovative ideas and new products and services for companies.

She was the recipient of the Sprint Corporate Communications Annual Excellence Award for her work on a joint venture between Sprint and three leading cable industry companies. She also served as a representative in the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce’s Centurions Leadership Program.

Melinda is a graduate of Kansas State University with a bachelor of arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communications. In her spare time, she loves to read, cook and enjoy the outdoors, especially if swimming and flower gardening are involved. Melinda lives with Mark on a tree-lined street in Prairie Village, Kan., along with Max the Alabama Red golden retriever, Bear the alpha cat and Moose the cat-who-thinks-he’s-a-dog.