New VAHSA Staff Member

Melissa Palombi, Communication and Events Manager

Melissa Palombi is a positive, creative collaborator, experienced in executing diverse events from brainstorming to day of execution. Raised in the DC area, she has returned to the east coast via Colorado and finds the Shenandoah as comforting as the Rockies.  Her background is in the arts having received her BFA from Carnegie Mellon School of Drama; worked for designers in New York, and for the Washington National Opera in Washington, D.C.  In Colorado, she earned her MA in Art History and completed coursework in K-12 art education before returning to Virginia.  Melissa most recently worked for 7 years at UVA in the Athletics Marketing and Communications Department coordinating large events and school programs. In her spare time, she produced a cookbook called, Hoos in the Kitchen, which features University of Virginia staff, alumni, and Charlottesville residents, telling their stories through a shared love of food.

She is thrilled to apply her skills in marketing/communications, education, and event production, to support the Virginia Head Start Association.