Melissa Daar Carvajal is a communications and branding strategist who lends strategic guidance to leaders working to achieve systemic or organizational change.

Melissa has built her expertise over a twenty-year career. She combines a mix of advocacy and policy experience with a creative brain inspired to tackle knotty challenges and difficult questions. As a communicator, she focuses on content, branding, messaging and strategy. As a consultant, Melissa offers guidance and strategy to leaders advancing a social impact business or system change.

Today, she works with the the Schott Foundation for Public Education as their Director of Communications. In this role, Melissa designs the foundation’s communications, strategies and oversees communications across all platforms as well as supports its network of Black-and-brown-led organizations working for racial and education justice.

Melissa also consults with for-profit and nonprofits organizations to develop and implement strategic and business plans.

Previously, she introduced Nicole Taylor as the new president and CEO of Silicon Valley Community Foundation. With her network of filmmakers, writers, strategists and designers, Melissa has also assisted such outstanding organizations as The Early Learning Lab, Center for Youth Wellness, and the Packard, Thrive and Rogers Family Foundations. Earlier in her career, Melissa held senior positions at the Stuart Foundation, Fenton Communications, and Full Court Press.

Melissa is an active public schools advocate and former parent at Mission High School where her sons, Tomas and Samuel, attended school recently. She also is a senior advisor to PlazaCuba, an international cultural exchange company she founded. Melissa has a BA from Clark University where she majored in Sociology.