Melissa O’Brien holds an M.A. in Higher Education/Student Personnel from the University of Mississippi, as well as a B.A. in Psychology and a B.A. in Criminology from Pennsylvania State University. While an undergraduate at Penn State, Melissa served in the PRISM lab (Penn Staters Researching Interventions for Social Misconduct), where she and her now husband were part of developing a Sexual Misconduct Educational Toolkit for educators. She also provided support on improvements to campus sexual misconduct policy and the conduct process. Additionally, Melissa volunteered as an advocate for survivors of sexual and domestic violence with the Centre County Women’s Resource Center (currently known as Center Safe).
While at the University of Mississippi, Melissa coordinated the 2015 and 2016 Title IX Campus Climate Survey, which examined knowledge, perceptions, and experiences of Sexual and domestic violence, harassment, and stalking. She also rotated around the conduct office, general counsel office, and disability services during her time in graduate school. As a graduate assistant with Disability Services, Melissa led an initiative composed of multiple campus departments and student groups, such as Student Veterans of America, to hold awareness and education events related to trauma and invisible disabilities. As part of the week of events, Melissa presented to faculty and staff on using a trauma-informed approach to everyday interactions with students and colleagues.
After completing her master’s degree, Melissa worked at both private and public institutions including Spring Hill College and Middle Georgia State University, where she managed the student conduct process, trained faculty and staff, and provided Title IX and Clery support and educational outreach.
Melissa has also facilitated workshops and presentations on emotional intelligence, communication, and conflict resolution through a restorative lens. Melissa is passionate about providing engaging training initiatives to create safe, healthy, and inclusive cultures for learning, work, and overall well-being.