Melissa Bertolo

Melissa is responsible for the Certified Welcoming program at Welcoming America where she leads local governments through a certification process that examines local governments’ policies, programs, and practices around equity and immigrant inclusion.

Melissa has over a decade of experience in the immigration field. Previous roles include Welcome Dayton Program Coordinator at the City of Dayton and Program Assistant at the International Organization for Migration in Quito, Ecuador. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in environmental and social justice from Warren Wilson College and a Master of Social Work and Master of Public Health from New Mexico State University.

Melissa lives in her hometown of Dayton, Ohio with her husband and their three children. She is passionate about civic engagement and serves on several boards of immigrant-led organizations in Dayton.