Melanie’s mantra is “Grow, baby, grow!” That’s exactly what she’s done for almost three decades as Torani’s first outside CEO.  Driven by her expertise in organizational development and scaling social impact companies, Melanie has grown the business by an average of 20% per year during her tenure.  She is especially passionate about Torani’s purpose of “Flavor for All, Opportunity for All.”  It’s a palpable part of the culture, with a focus on building opportunity -- learning, development, growth -- for their internal team, customers, and within the community. 

Melanie earned a BA in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. She continues to work closely with both of her alma maters by supporting Cal’s Opportunity Lab in research on income inequality and is a favorite speaker in Stanford’s Managing Growing Enterprises class.  

She happily serves on the Boards of Torani, Traditional Medicinals, and SHE-CAN (Supporting Her Education – Changes A Nation), mentoring and supporting young women from Rwanda, Cambodia, and Liberia.  Melanie resides in her hometown of San Francisco, rejoined by her daughter Sammy, who teaches elementary school in the area.  Her current favorite flavor is Balsamic Fig.