Melissa Rivas

Program Officer Melissa Rivas manages a portfolio of strategically responsive grants to address emerging needs and support innovative solutions that strengthen institutions' capacity and promote systemic change, helping to achieve ECMC Foundation’s mission and North Star Goal.

Before joining the Foundation, Melissa served as the director of student success and coaching at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). There, she contributed to a national initiative funded by the Gates Foundation aimed at closing equity gaps for Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and low-income students. Melissa started her career as a youth education advocate at Canal Alliance, working with families to overcome cultural and language barriers to access education. She has also provided direct financial aid advising through uAspire and supported research on Latino student success at Excelencia in Education. Prior to joining AASCU, she managed national change networks at the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU), overseeing initiatives funded by the Lumina Foundation and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation.

Melissa holds a Master of Arts in higher education and student affairs from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from the University of California, Berkeley.

Why are you working at ECMC Foundation and committed to working toward improving higher education for underserved learners?

I am committed to this work because I believe in addressing the root causes of systemic barriers instead of only focusing on symptoms. As a first-generation college student, I serve as a firsthand example of how access to education can dramatically change an individual's and their family's social mobility. After more than ten years of promoting equity, I strive to ensure that all students have access to the evidence-based innovations necessary for postsecondary success and the chance to achieve life-changing outcomes.