Areas of expertise: State workforce policy, Racial equity and inclusion, Policymaker education planning, Coalition building and support
Melissa Johnson is Chief of Policy and State Strategies at National Skills Coalition, where she leads the organization’s efforts to shape and advance workforce policies on the state level.
As part of NSC’s Executive Team, Melissa advises the CEO and helps guide strategic planning, organizational performance, and collaboration across teams. She oversees the development of NSC’s state policy agenda, research, and advocacy strategies, and leads the coalition’s work to build and mobilize a network of state coalitions and local leaders.
Previously, Melissa served as NSC’s Managing Director of State Strategies, where she led policy development and technical assistance efforts to support state-level systems change. Today, she continues to collaborate with state policymakers, workforce advocates, and cross-sector partners to design and implement inclusive policies that reflect the real-world expertise of NSC’s networks.
Melissa’s thought leadership has been featured in publications and cited by national and local media. She is the author of numerous publications and her work with community-based organizations, workforce boards, and state agencies has shaped policies that improve access to quality training, address equity gaps, and strengthen economic mobility for workers and communities alike.
Before joining NSC in 2017, Melissa served as Senior Policy Analyst at the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, where she led research on gender economic equity, childcare, and workforce development. Earlier in her career, she held roles in policy analysis and legal affairs at the Administrative Office of the Courts of Georgia and worked as a management consultant in the private sector.
Melissa holds a J.D. from Emory University School of Law and both an MBA and bachelor’s degree from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. She is based in Atlanta and Washington, D.C.
