Melissa Young

About Melissa Young

I am the founder and CEO of The Intersect, a national strategy and systems firm advancing community-rooted solutions at the nexus of economic and social justice — leveraging complimentary internal and external frameworks for alignment and impact. Together with our teams, we have partnered and led groundbreaking local, state, and national initiatives, ecosystem capacity building, and internal and external shifts. In less than five years, we\'ve more than tripled our impact. I’m a visionary leader with over 20 years of experience in the social impact, justice, and human rights sectors, and widely recognized for catalyzing and building transformative initiatives that garner national attention, secure sustainable resources, advance strategy and systems change, and center the leadership of communities.I have led groundbreaking efforts that have influenced national conversations on economic justice as a cornerstone of racial equity and human rights. My leadership has shaped state and national policy campaigns, stewarded high-impact teams working at the intersections of health, economic justice, and criminal legal reform, and established country’s only national hub focused on economic and housing justice. As a result, I hold cross-disciplinary expertise across human rights, anti-poverty, and justice ecosystems. I have supported and grown capacity-building, field development, research, technical assistance, and policy/advocacy teams.I have advised numerous federal, state, and local agencies—including serving as an advisor to the Biden-Harris transition teams and multiple congressional offices. I have also contributed to federal research demonstrations and served as a content expert for several philanthropic collaboratives as well as local, and national philanthropic foundations.I hold a B.A. from the University of Michigan and an M.A. from the University of Chicago. I’m a PhD candidate at Loyola University Chicago where my research interests include exploring the enabling conditions that catalyze and promote movement building and the network, policy, and program conditions that strengthen worker voice, choice, and empowerment.

Experience

1. Advisory Board

   Illinois Coalition To End Permanent Punishments

   Jan 2023 — Present

Education

• University of Chicago

  MA, Public Policy and Non-profit Management

  2003 — 2005

• University of Michigan

  BA, Psychology and Theatre

  2000 — 2003

Skills

• Fundraising
• Community Engagement
• Social Entrepreneurship
• Youth Development
• Grants
• Political Campaigns
• Case Management
• Coalitions
• Public Policy
• Strategic Communications
• Politics
• Workshop Facilitation
• Philanthropy
• Volunteer Management
• Policy
• Organizational Development
• Analysis
• Program Management
• Qualitative Research
• Facilitation
• Non-Profits
• Economic Development
• Budgeting
• Capacity Building
• Non-Profit Administration
• Proposal Writing
• Workforce Development
• Program Evaluation
• Policy Analysis
• Research
• Leadership Development
• Community Organizing
• Public Speaking
• Program Development
• Management
• Social Services
• Government
• Nonprofits
• Budgets
• Community Outreach