Meet Melanie

With over 20 years of executive human resources leadership experience, I partner with leaders and organizations to unlock their full potential — bringing the hard-won perspective of someone who has sat at the executive table, navigated complex organizational challenges, and built cultures where people and businesses thrive together. Whether working one-on-one with leaders or alongside executive teams, I offer a rare combination of strategic vision, legal acumen, and a genuine passion for people. I am a certified Executive Coach through the Center of Executive Coaching and follow the standards of the International Coaching Federation.

 

Most recently, I served as Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at American Water — the largest publicly traded water and wastewater utility company in the United States. In that role, I led a comprehensive HR portfolio spanning talent acquisition, leadership development, compensation and benefits, organizational design, HR operations and technology, and employee and labor relations. I also served as the executive sponsor of the company's Inclusion and Diversity Council and contributed directly to the company's long- and short-term strategic objectives as a member of the executive leadership team. My career at American Water began in 2007 as Associate Employment and Labor Counsel, and I progressively advanced through roles of increasing responsibility — including Chief Employment and Labor Counsel, HR Director, Vice President of Human Resources, and ultimately Chief Human Resources Officer — giving me a uniquely well-rounded view of how organizations work from the inside out. Prior to American Water, I spent nine years as a labor and employment attorney at large firms in New Jersey and Philadelphia, a foundation that sharpens everything I do.

 

Throughout my career, I have led large-scale organizational transformations, built high-performing HR teams, managed labor relations across 17 national union groups and more than 70 collective bargaining agreements, and guided leaders through some of their most critical people decisions. That experience is what I now bring to my coaching and consulting work. I hold a J.D. from Rutgers School of Law and a Bachelor's degree from the University of Rhode Island. I currently serve as a Trustee on the Finance Committee for the Cooper Healthcare Board and volunteer as both a CASA advocate for foster children and a certified therapy dog handler with the Alliance for Therapy Dogs. When I am not working, I enjoy time with my husband and three children at the shore, traveling, reading, and long walks with my two golden retrievers. My commitment to growth — in the leaders I work with and in myself — is at the core of everything I do.