About Dr. Melissa Patton
Chief Strategy & Operations Officer, Fractional COO, Startup Founder, M&A Strategist, Workforce & STEM Architect, and Thought Leader.
Dr. Melissa Patton is an executive with 20+ years of experience in product innovation, strategic operations, and organizational development. She has led early-stage startups and high-growth initiatives across education, health, and technology through product-led strategies and cross-sector innovation.
Architecting Ecosystems for Growth
Dr. Melissa Patton brings a visionary approach to executive leadership—crafting product strategies, leading operational transformations, and scaling agile organizations. From health to STEM to EdTech, she turns ideas into ecosystems, using strategy as a blueprint and innovation as her engine.
Building Through Product, People & Purpose
With a doctorate in education and organizational development, Dr. Patton has served as a dean, CAO, and tenured faculty member. Her career spans corporate, nonprofit, and startup sectors, always focused on measurable outcomes. As a fractional COO and founder, she’s driven revenue, grown teams, and engineered products that shape the future of workforce development.
Dr. Melissa Patton’s Story
Dr. Patton is a bold, data-driven change leader. She co-founded and bootstrapped a multi-vertical enterprise, growing from one idea into six campuses and 75 employees. She’s led SaaS roadmaps, navigated M&A deals, and built edtech platforms that empower learners and leaders alike. Her path is marked by courage, creativity, and calculated risk.
Core Competencies
- Organizational Systems
- Fractional COO
- B2B & B2C SaaS
- Workforce Professional
- Monday.com & Jira project management expertise
- Strategic Planning, KPI Development & OKR Creation
- In Person/Remote Presenter (e.g., webinars, panels, podcasts)
- Product Management
- Microsoft Office, Excel, PPT
- SCRUM, Lean, Agile Methodologies
- Marketing Management Experience
- Roadmap Management
- Executive Coaching
- Analytical Skills
- Digital and Traditional Marketing
- Published author (e.g., eBooks, articles)
- Consultant for large and small organizations
- LMS, HRIS, and CRM platform competency (Canvas, Blackboard, Engage, Taleo, People Soft, Salesforce, TalentLMS, Schoology, WordPress, Workday, etc.)
Certifications & Trainings
- Product Management Certification+Agile Product Owner + Scrum
- University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, Women in Leadership Certification
- University of Michigan, Leading for Diversity, Equity, and Conclusion Certification
- Product Management: Mastering Product Roadmaps Certification
- Project Management Course: Beginner to PROject Manager Certification
- Product Design Management for Agile Practitioners Certification
- Mediation Certification
Education
- Benedictine University, Lisle, IL
EdD in Higher Education and Organizational Change - Concordia University Chicago, River Forest, IL
MA in Community Counseling Psychology - Drake University, Des Moines, IA
BA in English Writing
Scholarship Student Athlete/Track and Field