Melinda Oakes

Melinda Oakes is the current executive director of Triad Foundation, a private family foundation located in upstate New York and with philanthropic reach throughout the United States, especially along the East Coast. Before joining the Foundation staff in 2015, Melinda worked for nearly 20 years in the global consumer products and entertainment markets, at iconic brands LEGO Company, Madison Square Garden, and Hallmark. A proud Army brat from the Midwest, Melinda earned her undergraduate degree in communications at Kansas State University and a master’s in public affairs from the University of Missouri. She also earned a master’s degree in elementary education from the University of Hartford and is working towards her TESOL certificate virtually through the University of Kansas. Recently, Melinda released her first non-fiction book, The Cheerleader’s Guide to the Workplace and joined Sylvie Legere’s podcast, Trust Your Voice, as a co-host. She’s a board member of the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Science, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Ithaca Garden Club, and the Daughters of the American Revolution. She’s also an advisory board member of The Policy Circle, Network of Enlightened Women, and Cayuga Medical Center. In her spare time, she volunteers at Open Doors English and, with her husband Brett, is an enthusiastic bleacher creature at dance competitions, downhill ski races, soccer games, and whatever else her kids are up to.