Melissa Connelly

Melissa Connelly is the CEO of OneGoal, a national college access and success organization. Prior to becoming CEO, Melissa served as the organization’s first chief program officer. In this role, she was responsible for executing the programmatic vision to ensure all students have a legitimate opportunity to earn a postsecondary degree or credential. Melissa has spent more than a decade in education leveraging her experiences, empathy, and drive to make certain her accomplishments are not an anomaly, but the norm for underserved youth.

Melissa earned a bachelor of arts from the University of Illinois-Chicago, a master’s of arts in teaching, and a master’s of education administration from Dominican University. She is also an alumna of the prestigious Surge Institute Fellowship for emerging leaders of color in education, but Melissa is most proud of the work she is doing as a mother to Ashland and Addae.