July 18, 2019
Our Speaker this week is Melissa Koch, GSE Team Leader. Her topic is "Rotary GSE Trips: Overview of Australian Adventure and Future Opportunities."
Melissa Koch was this year’s GSE team leader. She is a second-generation Rotarian serving in St. Joseph East with her father for the last 10 years. She is the Immediate Past President of her club serving 2017-2018, the year of Past RI President Ian Riseley. Melissa had the pleasure of hosting President Riseley in St. Joseph on behalf of her club for a tree planting ceremony! She graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a Bachelor of Social Work degree in 1989. This degree has provided the ability to work in many vocations. She has an extensive background as a medical social worker in home health, dialysis, and hospice in the first half of her career. She stumbled into a career of non-profit work and fundraising while looking for a more flexible work schedule. She has worked for the United Way and most recently as the CEO of St. Joseph Habitat for Humanity.
Though semi-retired now, Melissa enjoys consulting with regional non-profits in the areas of fundraising and organizational management. She has been married 29 years to her husband, Vincent. They have two daughters, Morgan and Molly. In their spare time they mentor Justin through Big Brothers Big Sisters, and love sharing with him the hope and opportunity he can achieve with hard work! Melissa enjoys public speaking and is often an Master of Ceremonies at local charity events, loves coffee, reading, travel, and wants to get back into golfing!
