Melissa Merritt

Melissa advises across all searches at GoodCitizen and remains engaged as a practitioner of her own portfolio. The right leadership matters to Melissa and she enjoys supporting organizations with an essential piece of their impact puzzle.

Melissa has led executive searches across a broad range of social sector organizations and issue areas. Her clients include foundations like the Hewlett Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, the Skoll Foundation, and the David & Lucile Packard Foundation; direct service nonprofits like FareStart, YWCA, Boys and Girls Clubs, and Planned Parenthood; NGOs like Global Giving, Landesa, and Water for People; and funder collaboratives in global nutrition, nuclear nonproliferation, and entrepreneurship.

Melissa’s professional career spans three sectors. Prior to launching GoodCitizen (formerly Waldron), she worked with NGOs in New York and West Africa, multinational communications agencies in New York, Hong Kong, and London, and multinational advertising agencies, nonprofits, and foundations in the executive search field across Europe and the US.

Melissa is certified in nonprofit board consulting and serves as Chair of the Global Washington Board of Directors. She is also a Charter Member of the Women of the World Philanthropy Group and played an instrumental role in the national expansion of Waldron’s executive search offering.

Melissa has lived on 4 continents and 5 islands (because all good vibes happen on the tides)!

Areas of Expertise: Philanthropy | Funders Collaboratives | Founder Transitions | Systems Change | Boards & Governance