Melissa Neeley is the Development and Marketing Manager for Arms Wide Adoption Services, a Houston-based organization dedicated to building and sustaining strong, nurturing families for children who have endured abuse, neglect, or abandonment. Over the last seven years of her fundraising career, Melissa has learned to be adaptable in positions where development was just one of the many hats she wore. Melissa has been volunteering with the Association of Fundraising Professionals for six years, where she serves locally as the 2020 COVID-19 Response Chair and on AFP Global’s Emerging Leaders Work Group. Melissa earned two Bachelor of Science degrees in Public Relations and Family, Youth & Community Sciences from the University of Florida with minors in Nonprofit Leadership and Business Administration.