Leadership: Mr. Melara has led organizations ranging in size from $3.5 million to $62million in his current role as CEO.  Staffing levels have increased throughout his career from 60 to the current 1,400 employees. With demonstrable experience in leading organizations through significant change, development and growth, Mr. Melara brings real leadership experience and a pragmatic approach to his coaching engagements.

 

Change management: Using methodical data gathering processes, staff input and a constant examination of agency pressure points and agency goals, Mr. Melara has successfully led a number of agency “re-organizations” that allowed these agencies to maximize both financial and human resources in the service of specific agency goals.  Mr. Melara subscribes to a “form follows function” approach to reorganization and allows agency goals to dictate the ultimate structure that provides the agency with the best opportunity to meet its goals.

 

Human Resources: Mr. Melara has extensive experience in staff supervision, staff development, providing feedback and handling performance problems. Mr. Melara views the HR Department as a strategic partner in operating the organization particularly as agencies examine workforce needs as well as the changing demographics of the workforce.

 

Crisis management and communication: Mr. Melara produces ongoing blogs, letters to the editor and participates in regular speaking engagements and lecturing.  He is experienced in working with the media and has competently handled a number of agency crisis, some of which were reported on by the media.  Mr. Melara has a tried and true methodology for interacting with the media during a crisis, which includes communications channels to the board of directors.

 

Board Governance:  Mr. Melara has spent the last sixteen years reporting to a board of directors as well as serving on several boards, including being board chair.  He has a deep appreciation for the role of the board, board committees and understands both the importance of and legalities related to board governance.   Mr. Melara has a clear definition of the role of the board as it relates to the agency’s needs and corresponding organizational life-cycle (start-up, growth, mature, decline, and turnaround). 

Financial Operations:  Mr. Melara has been involved with every aspect of the budgeting process, from cash management to implementing austerity budgets in the face of financial downturns.  Mr. Melara’s views the budget document as a “numerical representation of what the agency values and intends to get done.”