Most leaders, churches, and communities want to make a difference — but they don’t always know where to start. How do we serve the vulnerable in our city? How do we talk about trafficking and justice in ways that move people to act? How do we build organizations that are sustainable, not exhausting?
Melissa speaks into those questions with honesty, clarity, and conviction. She helps people care about what matters to God — and gives them practical ways to respond.
After earning a degree in social work from DBU and traveling on mission trips to China, Nepal, Morocco, and Ghana, she returned home with a heart to serve her own city.
In 2012, she founded The Net, a nonprofit that has walked with more than 1,700 survivors of trafficking. In 2018, she co-founded The Worthy Co, a social enterprise that provides dignified employment to survivors through a retail store, candle studio, and e-commerce platform.
She has also co-founded several ventures with her husband Jamey, including BREWED, The 4Eleven, and Casa De Ice in Santa Fe.
Topics Melissa Speaks On
• Justice, trafficking, and God’s heart for the vulnerable
• Mobilizing churches to engage in local mission
• Raising up young leaders with courage and conviction
• Building nonprofits that grow without losing their heart
• Fundraising with integrity + donor engagement
• Social enterprise and creating dignified work
Speaking Services
• Keynotes
• Panels & fireside conversations
• Retreats & women’s gatherings
• Church teaching and vision casting
The Net
Nonprofit serving survivors of trafficking
The Worthy Co
Social enterprise employing women survivors
BREWED
Coffee shop & restaurant (co-founder)
The 4Eleven
Event space & warehouse redevelopment (co-founder)
Casa De Ice / Casa De Camino
Luxury Airbnb rentals in Santa Fe
Ice Travels
Family travel journal with Jamey
Recognition & Press
Together they’re raising their daughters Rosie (9) and Justice (6), who joined their family through adoption. They live in Fort Worth’s Near Southside and love traveling together — from local adventures to new destinations around the world. They write up their trips at Ice Travels.
