Melissa Laramie
MELISSA LARAMIE is passionate about education and equity, Melissa has more than 22 years of experience in communications, marketing, and public relations. Melissa joined Gwinnett County Public Schools in April 2022, where she serves as the district’s first Chief Engagement Officer. Prior to joining Team GCPS, Melissa served for more than six years as a lead communicator for the third-largest district in Washington state and nearly eight years at the largest educational service district in Washington state. Melissa’s work advocating for student success, equitable access to high-quality instruction, and amplifying teacher voice were the basis of her years of leadership on the Washington School Public Relations Association Board and led her to run for and secure a seat on her local school district board of education.
Able to provide strategic communication, marketing, and engagement strategies and services for private corporations, non-profits, and school districts Melissa’s diverse experience provides a unique perspective. As a communications professional, she has a wide variety of experience, including excellent writing, editing, strategic planning, multimedia and interpersonal skills, budget management, planning, and grant writing, and extensive experience in web design/management, social media, graphic design, blogging, and content marketing. And as a Head Start graduate, first generation college graduate from a reservation town of less than 1,000 people, and single mother, Melissa’s empathy for people and belief in the power of public education fuel her work daily.
Melissa holds a Bachelor of Arts in applied sociology and social work from Seattle University and earned a master’s degree in communication and leadership studies from Gonzaga University. Melissa is an enrolled member of the Colville Confederated tribes from the Sinixt band, is a trained Action Collab Design Thinking facilitator; she is an advocate for student and teacher voice, an active PTA member, a national speaker, and is enjoying exploring with her twelve-year-old daughter all of the beauty and fun that Georgia has to offer.