Biography

Melissa Shetler began her official journey in the labor movement as a community organizer with the Laborers’ Eastern Region Organizing Fund and Greater New York Laborer-Employers' Cooperation and Education Trust (LECET), where she spent five years focused on affordable-housing legislative reforms and membership training and engagement. Melissa developed curriculum and facilitated organizing training for Laborers' locals throughout New York, New Jersey, and Delaware. Melissa moved on to become the Director of Organizing and then Political Director for Local 46 Metallic Lathers and Reinforcing Ironworkers where she managed campaigns, coalition building, internal organizing programs, and multi-trade campaign coordination.

Melissa was a founding board member and the Executive Director of Pathways to Apprenticeship, a pre-apprenticeship program in New York City focused on supporting justice-involved individuals and public housing residents in accessing middle class union careers in the building and construction trades.

Melissa is a skilled facilitator who brings her knowledge of popular-education pedagogy to the classroom. Melissa has a master's degree in Adult Learning and Leadership from Columbia Teachers College. She is a Senior Training and Education Associate at the Climate Jobs Institute at Cornell, ILR. A lifelong jazz enthusiast, Melissa can be found at home in Brooklyn, NY singing standards to her twin toddlers.