“Melanie is a customer-focused professional who is both strategic and capable of ensuring the details are taken into account. She engenders confidence through her calm, thoughtful approach to problem-solving. I recommend Melanie without hesitation.”

Managing Director, Business Practice

Melanie is an exceptional talent, both personally and professionally. While her PhD might lead some to conclude that she favors the analytical, Melanie has that rare ability to see beyond the numbers to the customer experiences which serve as the true source for decision making. Any organization would be lucky to have her as a member of its staff and I would welcome the opportunity to work with her again.

Vice President, Digital Product Innovation & Marketing

“Melanie is a delight to work and have inspiring discussions with. Her laser-like insights, passion and energy bring to life even the most difficult projects with excellent results and solutions... Unquestionably, Mel is a born thought leader and an excellent researcher.”

Director, Center for Business Innovation & President, Creative Focus, Inc.

“I can heartily endorse Melanie for the keen insight, passion, and professionalism she brings to her craft. Yes, she is highly skilled across the board in a wide range of research and analytical approaches. Yes, she brings senior-level leadership and a critical, thoughtful perspective to her work. Yes, she is stunningly collaborative and easily rises to the ranks of trusted adviser. No, she is not a pushover and she won’t hesitate to challenge conventional thinking or raise an unpopular point that needs raising. I value her friendship and partnership and wouldn’t hesitate to have her at the table for anything in which I’m involved.”

Vice President, Creative & Brand Strategy

“Melanie is a solution seeker who uses her considerable skills to improve our work with our constituents. She also helps those within our organization understand the core components of what we do and how that translates in the marketplace. She has been instrumental in designing and implementing the tools and studies that have given us key insights into our audience. This resulted in tailored approaches that vastly enriched what we provide to those who trust the American Cancer Society. The best thing is that Melanie approaches this with an intelligence, a diplomacy, and an energy that makes her colleagues look forward to having her engaged on our projects. She adds value to each project she touches and each team that has her as a member.”

Senior Vice President, Programs and Services

“Melanie was a joy to work with in the three years we worked together at the American Cancer Society. She was a great partner and collaborator in the market research and analytics space with my team, even in the rapidly changing environment we shared. She is a steady and smart professional, and is extremely accomplished in her field. She’s naturally highly inquisitive and customer focused — which is a great combination for our customers. I was very impressed with her ability to stay grounded and focused on our customers and results, while urging us to “do the right thing” with a broad strategic view of the business, always looking at data and customer feedback to help make the American Cancer Society better. And that’s probably what best summarizes Melanie’s contributions to the Society: she makes us better. I’m glad I had the chance to work with Melanie — I know my work was the better for it.”

Senior Digital Product Manager

CHIEF THOUGHT PARTNER

Melanie is your primary partner for all Thought Catalyst projects. She formed her first research consultancy in 2006 and has been working in the research, analytics and account planning world for over 20 years. She formed Thought Catalyst, LLC to fuel her passion of helping organizations make smart and efficient decisions that center on customer needs, preferences and behaviors, and in turn optimize business performance.

Melanie has experience across a variety of industries, including, but not limited to:

• Nonprofit Organizations

• Marketing & Communications Technology

• Travel & Tourism

• Consumer Packaged Goods

• Sports & Entertainment

• Financial Services

• Health & Medical Devices

• B-to-B Products & Services

Melanie also works as an Associate Professor and Associate Chair of Media & Communication at East Tennessee State University, teaching Audience Research, Planning, and Analytics, among many other courses.

BRAND STRATEGIST

Megan Short is a part of the Thought Catalyst team, serving as a creative strategist. With over 15 years' experience in public relations and marketing, Megan brings her strategic communications and graphic design skill sets to Thought Catalyst to analyze brand communication data to develop strategy and plans as well as produce research presentations that summarize findings with interactive media, thus bringing insights to life. In addition to her role at Thought Catalyst, Megan manages multiple regional brands' communications strategy and is a Master Lecturer at East Tennessee State University where she teaches media and communication courses, such as Brand Communication, Brand and Social Media Production, and Capstone in Brand Communication. Of most notable, she has co-led the AAF National Student Advertising Competition Team, which has won District 7 four times and placed in the top 8 nationally three times. She also serves as the program's internship coordinator, advisor to the Strategic Media Club, and an instructor in the Adobe Certified Associate program. Megan specializes in small business brand communication strategy and her research interests are in media bias and Appalachian media culture and digital literacy.