Melisande has spent over 15 years working with young children and their families, five of those years as the Preschool Master Teacher in the ECE Department at Cabrillo College. She spent several years in the non-profit sector, managing a small transitional housing program for systems-impacted women in Santa Cruz County and co-teaching a day class at Blaine Street Women's Jail. She currently works as the Program Specialist and Family Liaison for the Cabrillo College Children's Center and Lab School, where she connects student parents and enrolled families to campus and community resources, supports educators with early intervention, and advocates for student parents. She also serves as a Board Member for Positive Discipline Community Resources. She and her husband are parents to two young daughters.