Lizette Melendez
Location
Dallas, TX (CT)
Education, Experience, and Certifications
Master of Business Administration, Rice University
B.S. in Applied Learning & Development, English/Spanish Instruction, The University of Texas at Austin
3+ years of direct executive support experience as Chief of Staff to elected officials, within 10+ years total in senior operations and stakeholder management
10+ years across government, K-12 education, and non-profit sectors
Business development & project management: exceeded a $900k annual sales target by 15%, closed a $90K new contract plus $100K+ in expansion/renewal, and scaled strategic K-12 account from 6 to 25 sites - managing full project plans, CRM pipeline, and client relationships independently across a multi-state territory.
10+ years in high-stakes executive support and operations - including 3 years as Chief of Staff to elected officials, managing ~$880K budget, coordinating calendars and priorities across C-Suite offices, 20+ community organizations, and leading cross-agency initiatives that secured $9M+ in funding. Also brings business development and program management experience: exceeded a $900K sales target by 15%, closed $90K+ in new contracts, and scaled a K-12 strategic account from 6 to 25 sites through pipeline and project management. Background spans government, education, and non-profit sectors with a track record of building operating systems that keep high-visibility offices running smoothly under pressure.
What I Bring to Teams
Project + Initiative Support
Google Workspace, Asana, monday.com, Microsoft 365, Excel
Full project lifecycle management: timelines, milestones, execution
Strategic account/program scaling
Accountability tracking systems and workflow design
End-to-end event and engagement logistics
Business Development + Sales Support
Salesforce/CRM, Google Workspace, Asana, Canva
Pipeline management and revenue forecasting
Account growth and contract closing
Consultative client engagement, prospect through implementation
Independent multi-account management across multi-state portfolios
Executive Operations
Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Asana, Calendly, Slack
Multi-time-zone calendar management and priority triage
Executive inbox and correspondence management
Meeting prep: agendas, briefing materials, and background synthesis
Budget oversight, forecasting, and financial tracking
Systems + Automation
Google Workspace, Asana, Salesforce, Claude/ChatGPT
AI-enabled workflow automation (Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot)
Intake, triage, and case-management system design
KPI-driven accountability systems and process improvement
CRM and pipeline management
Strategic Partnership
Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Asana, Slack, DocuSign
Multi-stakeholder network building across government, nonprofit, and community sectors
Cross-agency, multi-year initiative leadership
Coalition-building for high-visibility, cross-sector programs
Funding strategy, proposal through implementation
When I was 10, I wanted to be: Architect or Photojournalist!
Go-to take out spot: Waya Raamen! w/ extra spice, always.
If I were to pick one show to re-watch 100 times it would be: Frasier! Which I have probably rewatched 100 times. AND Schitts Creek
Something that brings me joy: Oli, my 90lb lap dog.
One meme that sums up my sense of humor:
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