Melynda Ciccotti’s career in school psychology and childhood development has led her to the front lines of combatting child abuse. Throughout her career, Melynda has encountered many unsafe situations for children and witnessed the compromised day-to-day functioning of a multitude of children facing traumatic personal, unsafe and harmful environments. Most recently, Melynda worked as Deputy Director for a Hampton Roads issue-oriented business group that provides private sector leadership to the Virginia Beach community. The work of this group focused on information gathering and problem solving for complex regional issues.

Melynda accepted the Executive Director position on a part- time basis in June 2015. Since that time, she has delivered, with a strong group of trained volunteers, a nationally recognized child abuse prevention program into the region for adults who care for children, including daycare providers, faith-based preschools staffers, public school employees, community nurses, and college students majoring in the human services field. Melynda is engaged in structuring the organization, first known as Prevent Child Abuse Hampton Roads, to optimize child abuse prevention efforts. “There is more to come,” says Melynda, “and with strong community support, we can effect positive change in Hampton Roads.”