Melanie Sue Hicks is an adventure-seeking, travel-enthusiast, social impact advocate, author, and speaker. She has more than two decades of professional experience in education, nonprofit, and workplace trends and has led or participated in service projects around the world.

Melanie has served in a variety of professional roles including Chief Executive Officer, Chief Programs Officer, Head of Training, VP of Education Solutions and Sales, Director of Advocacy, and Assistant Provost. In 2009 she founded a boutique consulting firm, InPursuit, focused on strategy and training. In 2022 she founded Inked Elephant Publishing House.

Of her professional accomplishments, Melanie is most proud to be the author of, Incongruent: Travel, Trauma, Transformation a travel memoir about loving the life you have, even in the midst of life’s wreckage.

Writing her first book at 10 years old, she has now been published in dozens of magazines and websites including Forbes.com, Marie Claire, Authority Magazine, See Beyond Magazine, and many more. In addition to her personal and professional writing, she has also written more than $100M in grants for more than three dozen organizations.

Dr. Hicks holds a doctorate from the Askew School of Public Administration and Policy at Florida State University. She holds a Senior Certified Professional certification from the Society for Human Resource Management, a Business Analytics Certification from Harvard University, a Six Sigma Yellow Belt from the University of South Florida, and two Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Certifications.

Melanie sits on multiple boards and teaches financial literacy to women in developing countries around the world. Her awards include the Rod Rose Paper of the Year Award, the Joyce Keller Volunteer of the Year Award, the Florence Bayuk Scholarship for academic excellence; the University of Miami Outstanding Scholastic and Public Service Achievement Award.