Melinda has been a multi-disciplinary global strategic leader, with her most recent corporate experience serving as an Executive Officer for Kraton Corporation. Melinda brings a wealth of business and human resources experience in multiple industries and global locations, including living in the United Kingdom and leading human resources for the UK business for Capital One Financial. Melinda’s industry experience includes Chemicals, Consumer Packaged Goods, Financial Services, Aerospace, Retail, and Automotive.

Beginning in 2022, Melinda became the Chief Executive Officer of People Asset Solutions, a business consulting firm focused on the achievement of corporate objectives through people. Melinda has worked with multiple organizations on developing and enhancing their human capital and governance practices. In a recent assignment, beyond developing a 3-year strategy, Melinda worked with the Chairman of the Board to develop the first Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors and the ensuing oversight for the Committee.

From 2012 – 2022, she was a member of the Kraton Corporation Executive Leadership Team, reporting to the Chief Executive Officer. Throughout her tenure, Melinda worked directly with the Compensation Committee Chair of the Kraton Board of Directors on such topic as executive compensation, talent development / succession planning, diversity & inclusion, crisis management, and others. Throughout her tenure, she directly recruited, in partnership with the Nominating and Governance Committee, three members of the Board of Directors. Additionally, Melinda has managed multiple executive officer changes (both hiring and terminations).

In her more recent corporate experience, Melinda led the closing and integration process of Kraton Corporation’s divestment to DL Chemical, a Korean entity. This included managing multiple diligence issues across all functional areas, coordination with Korea, and managing all communications (internal and external throughout the process). Melinda also led the transition to a new Board of Directors, new management teams, and resulting functional transitions. Prior to this transaction, Melinda also played significant roles in the diversification of a smaller business line (2019) and the acquisition of Arizona Chemical (2016), which doubled the size of Kraton, at the time (both in, revenue and human capital). In the latter acquisition, Melinda played a critical integration role in managing process changes across the organization.

Beyond the M&A experience Melinda brings, she also led the organization through the significant COVID-19 pandemic and associated issues. This included supply chain, commercial and people issues, in coordination with the executive team. Melinda reported on such issues to the Kraton Board of Directors. Beyond these business issues, Melinda served as Chief Human Resources Officer, leading a global human resources team of approximately 40 people, employee base of approximately 2000, and a budget of more than $16 million. Melinda had global responsibility for Diversity & Inclusion / Culture, Talent Acquisition, Talent Development, Total Rewards, Facilities, and Organization Development. Within Total Rewards, Melinda led the management of US defined contribution and defined benefit assets of more than $500 million, along with additional European, Asian, and South American plans. Melinda’s experience including the development and implementation of a transformative people strategy.

Prior to Kraton, with more than thirty years of work experience, Melinda held numerous roles at Dean Foods, including Vice President, Total Rewards, managing a health care budget of more than $150 million and defined contribution / defined benefit plan assets of more than $1 billion. Additionally, she was the Human Resources Vice President for the largest division of approximately $9 billion in revenue, leading more than 100 Human Resources professionals, and more than 20,000 employees.

Beyond her business leadership and human resources executive experience, Melinda also worked as a licensed attorney and brings a legal background to her advice. She was an Associate at Figari & Davenport in Dallas, Texas, as well as holding multiple clerkships while attending law school. Melinda was published in the Journal of Air Law & Commerce, while writing for the Southern Methodist Law Review. The article was published in Volume 69, Issue 1 (2004) and was entitled, “Treaties – Accident under the Warsaw Convention – Ninth Circuit Holds That a Pre-existing Medical Condition, along with a Flight Attendant’s Failure to Act, Characterizes an Accident Under the Warsaw Convention: Hussain v. Olympic Airways.”

Melinda is a graduate of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign for both her Bachelor’s (Speech Communication) and Master’s (Human Resources) Degrees, as well as a Juris Doctor from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. She was admitted to practice law in Texas in 2005.

Beyond her own charitable endeavors, Melinda has also served on the board, including as President, of her religious organization.