Melissa Patton

Vice President, Space Foundation

Dr. Melissa Patton is a seasoned educator and product management expert with 15+ years of experience leading cross-functional teams and scaling organizations through product-led growth (PLG). Her accomplishments include enterprise experience which led to a lean start-up that thrived in implementing technology solutions and executing innovative products in a data and customer driven environment.  Additionally, she is a higher education executive with 20+ years as a tenured professor and a C-suite academic administrator.

Melissa holds a bachelor’s degree from Drake University in English Writing, a master’s degree from Concordia University in Counseling Psychology, and a Doctorate in Education from Benedictine University in Higher Education and Organizational Change.  Melissa is driven by a commitment to educational access, meeting students where they are. With a dedicated focus on equitable health, she actively works to drive change, combat racial disparities, and promote awareness.