Melissa grew up as a four-sport athlete in the Washington, D.C. area, where she consistently had access to all-girls teams. That early experience shaped her belief in the importance of intentional spaces for girls in sports. While serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in rural El Salvador, she noticed that girls often watched boys’ games but were rarely given the opportunity to play. After gaining the trust of local parents, Melissa organized a girls’ soccer team and traveled with them to neighboring villages, witnessing firsthand how participation in sports empowered the girls and strengthened their confidence and sense of community. After becoming a mom, Melissa began volunteering as a coach in coed soccer, coed baseball snd softball. When her daughters reached basketball age, she was struck by the lack of all-girls basketball opportunities and worked within a youth organization to create and coordinate a girls’ basketball division. The program grew to serve more than 500 girls within four years. Over the past four years, Melissa has coordinated with the NBA and Brooklyn Basketball to provide training for volunteer coaches, with a focus on confidence-building, teamwork, and the value of recreational sports. She has also partnered with organizations such as Parkway Hoops, New Heights, and Brooklyn Basketball Academy to support girls seeking competitive play, skill development, or continued involvement in the sport. Recognizing that girls’ programs are too often treated as an afterthought, Melissa founded Brooklyn Girls League (BGL), a nonprofit recreational basketball organization created for girls, by women who grew up as athletes. BGL is rooted in the belief that girls’ sports deserve intentional investment, respect, and visibility. When she is not parenting or coaching, Melissa works as a federal employee at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and enjoys birding in Prospect Park, playing the ukulele, and trying to paint.