Bold, Brazen, and Building a Better Way with Melissa DeShields
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Identity is made up of how the world sees you, how you see yourself, and those who have helped make you who you are. On today’s episode of the podcast I am excited to welcome Melissa DeShields CEO and Partner at Frontline Consulting. Join us as we explore and reconcile the world of Philanthropy, Racial Justice, and everything in between. Melissa and I are not only colleagues but friends. Melissa is a visionary who is living, breathing, and practicing the liberatory path in her role at Frontline and beyond. A special thank you to her for all that she is and the work that she does.
Meet Melissa DeShields:
A principled leader and expert project manager, Melissa helps organizations build strong teams, develop effective strategy, and execute high-impact projects. As CEO of Frontline, Melissa actively fosters a culture of learning, reflection, and deep connection. She takes pride in all aspects of her work, from building client relationships to overseeing financial operations to supporting and mentoring staff.
Melissa considers herself an unleasher of talent and a celebrator of Black brilliance. As such, she works tirelessly to ensure Frontline acknowledges, affirms, and rewards the genius, creativity, and wisdom of staff members and community partners.
Melissa has been a member of Frontline’s senior leadership team since 2015, helming projects for Grantmakers for Girls of Color, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, among others. Prior to joining Frontline, Melissa launched her own consulting practice and held senior-level positions at the Urban Affairs Coalition and The Philadelphia Foundation.
Listen in as Melissa shares:
- Her various identities and the role they have played in her journey and her work
- How she as the CEO and partner of Frontline Consulting, accounts incorporates racial equity at work
- How she holds herself and other accountable
- What she wants others in the field to know as they lead and do “the work”
Learn more and connect with Melissa DeShields and Frontline Consulting:
- LinkedIn: Melissa DeShields
- Website: Frontline Solutions
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