Melissa Bellin

“As a first-year teacher, one of my first responsibilities was to plan the social studies and science curriculum for my first-grade team. I spent many late nights scouring websites for ideas and was incredibly grateful when I found resources that were both high-quality and free—a hard combination to find! This not only made me appreciate the power of the internet as a learning tool, but also the need for more open-source curricular resources for educators.”

Before joining Digital Promise, Melissa worked at the Education Trust as a graduate policy and advocacy fellow on the Partnerships and Engagement team. Her work focused on increasing educational equity and strengthening advocacy efforts on behalf of students from low-income families and students of color. Prior to Ed Trust, Melissa interned with Teach Plus Texas, where she supported a cohort of teacher fellows in their advocacy before the Texas state legislature on issues including school finance reform, trauma-informed instruction, and innovative school models. Melissa has also worked in nonprofit operations and began her career as an elementary educator with KIPP DC. Melissa earned an M.A. in Public Affairs from the University of Texas at Austin and a B.A. in sociology from Harvard University. You can reach Melissa at: mbellin@digitalpromise.org.