Melissa Rotholz
Shield Bearer Associate Director Melissa Rotholz was honored as 2017 Woman of the Year by the Women Empowering Women Express Network (WEWEN) of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) at the ABWA Houston Area Council Women Celebrating Women Luncheon on June 24, 2017 at the Junior League of Houston.
The mission of ABWA is to bring together businesswomen of diverse occupations and to provide opportunities for them to help themselves and others grow personally and professionally through leadership, education, networking support, and national recognition. The ABWA Woman of the Year Award highlights women that have demonstrated outstanding leadership and mentorship within their local league, the ABWA organization, their professions, and the community. Melissa is a founding member of WEWEN, currently serves as WEWEN Vice President of Communications, and is slated for WEWEN President in 2018.
As Associate Director of Shield Bearer, a local non-profit organization dedicated to hope and healing for victims of crime and abuse, human trafficking survivors, veterans and active military families, struggling marriages, and many other hurting hearts, Melissa oversees community engagement including marketing, public relations, volunteering, and event planning. She has over fifteen years of experience leading teams dedicated to elevating individual and organizational performance in both the public and private sectors. Melissa feels specifically called to empower families with education and resources, and is passionate about speaking out for those that have experienced traumatic events and are unable to afford services and programs. She recently pioneered a Mother Daughter Strong program that focuses on building strength physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, created a Mentor Program for homeless women and community volunteers, and is publishing the first in a series of poetry books centered around positive self-image for children later this year.
Melissa also currently serves as a mentor for sister ABWA league Cy-Fair Express Network, volunteers for the Greater Tomball Area Chamber of Commerce, the Houston Northwest Chamber of Commerce, Good Shepherd Methodist Church, Reach Unlimited, The Mission of Yahweh, and the Cypress Gems Chapter of the National Charity League. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from Texas State University and a Master of Science in Organizational and Human Resource Development from Abilene Christian University. Her most treasured roles are wife of twenty-three years and mom to two teenagers.
For more information about WEWEN or ABWA, visit wewen.org or email communications@wewen.org. For more information about Shield Bearer, visit shieldbearer.org or call (281) 894-7222.