Melissa Newton

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

SKILLS

ABOUT MELISSA NEWTON

Melissa Newton started her career at Olsson nearly 20 years ago by working as an office assistant while earning her degree in business. After hours of sifting through contracts to reorganize the firm’s filing system, she began to develop an interest in how this engineering firm operated their business, paying particular attention to leadership styles within the organization. After graduating, Newton began recruiting employees and handling payroll for, what was then, the 70-person firm. Newton’s responsibilities shifted as the firm grew to more than 700 employees. She spent several years leading the human resources team with overall responsibility for recruitment strategy, staff retention, performance management, compensation and benefits, and professional development. With a background in finance, Newton led the successful conversion of an integrated financial, project management, and marketing software program in 2006. In 2009, Newton was promoted to senior vice president of business operations and currently leads strategic initiatives for the firm’s Business Operations team to achieve objectives related to growth, profitability, client service, and employee growth and development. She oversees operations for human resources, finance and accounting, IT, marketing, communications, client services, and organizational development. Newton earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration with an emphasis in finance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and is currently working on a Master of Administrative Arts degree in business from Doane College where she has focused her research efforts on documenting best practices in successful engineering firms.