Melodie is a nationally recognized education leader and advocate. As a community leader, charter school founder, school administrator, and program director, she has devoted her career to advancing education opportunities for disadvantaged students. Prior to joining Just Equations in 2020, she was Director of Education at United Way of Buffalo and Erie County. Her day-to-day responsibilities included building partnerships with diverse stakeholder groups, developing strategies to advance equitable education policies, implementing community school models in local districts, managing grants, and investing in educational programs.

Baker has chaired various national, state and local coalitions, including Raising New York, The Coalition for Community Schools, and the Erie/Niagara Birth to 8 Coalition. She directs the research and evaluation effort for the Rockefeller Institute of Government’s First 1000 Days on Medicaid Initiative, headed by the New York State Department of Health, and was recently tapped to serve on Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Reimagining Education Advisory Council to devise strategies for re-opening schools amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Melodie earned a Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations from Buffalo State College, a Master’s degree in Executive Leadership and Change from Daemen College, and an Advanced Graduate Certificate in Applied Statistical Analysis from SUNY-Buffalo.