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.

Years of Leadership Experience
0 +
Startup Exits Scaled
0 x
Ecosystem Growth Impact
$ 0 M+

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
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