Melissa Hopkins is a lifelong Delawarean, a mother, and wife and a dedicated advocate for the Delaware non-profit sector as the Executive Vice President of Sector Advancement at Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement, DANA. She has a background in building partnerships, driving policy, and advocacy to DANA. A lifelong learner, she earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Delaware going to school part-time and working at the University of Delaware full-time. Melissa is also a Leadership Delaware Fellow Alum and completed the program while pregnant with her son, Samuel.

Melissa has served as a board member with several Delaware non-profits, and currently serves as the board chair of the Newark Day Nursery and Children’s Center and on the board of her son’s school, Christ the Teacher Catholic School. Melissa and her husband, David, have been married for 15 years and preserved through seven years of fertility treatments in their journey to parenthood. They welcomed their son, Samuel, in 2013, and he was well worth the wait. As a family, they enjoy camping, hiking, board games, movies, and spending time together. Frequently, Melissa shares humorous posts on social media sharing the fun and frivolity of parenting a growing boy, starting as Preschool Diaries and evolving as Samuel grows. Currently, First Grade Diaries/Mommy Diaries chronicles the adventures of parenting a precocious First Grade boy.