Jan 21, 2019
About Me
Melissa Jurkoic is a…
Mother
Without a doubt, her hardest yet most rewarding job is being a mom to her three sons. She has great pride in her contribution to creating responsible and considerate adults for our society and takes time often to reflect on their accomplishments and growth over the last 24 years. She is a much better version of herself because of Cameron, Jacob and Anthony.
Wife
She still remembers the day this guy came into her life. A single mom working full-time, she had no time for love interest. Then him. Being his wife has taught her a lot about herself and every day is a lesson in being a better person. Stan is the stability and security she never had and always needed. Being his wife has shown her what it means to be loved and truly blessed.
Dog Lover
Kona girl knows how to make her smile each and every day. It truly doesn’t matter what you are doing, she wants to be right by your side. She is the epitome of a loyal companion and we are so grateful she is part of our family. Little compares to her unconditional love.
Recreational Chef & Reluctant Fitness Enthusiast
Her love to eat drives her commitment to fitness, but the struggle is real.
Cooking is a past-time, a passion and a form of therapy which when paired with a good red equals pure bliss.
Writer
Since she was able to write, she has been a writer. Even when there have been long droughts, the words were always in her. Her youth brought pages of poetry and short stories to life and her love for writing has never completely faded. She was published in The Language of Transformation and is working on her own memoir — stay tuned for more on that.
Servant Leader and Mentor
As a true believer that great leaders create more leaders not followers, she coaches her team to align their roles with their strengths and helps them grow where their weaknesses and passion overlap. Outside of her day job, she partners with Benson Consulting to direct and manage a mentoring program under the Diversify Thinking initiative connecting industry professionals to undergraduate students to help them reach their goals.
Advocate
Driven by her passion to have a positive impact on the decline of women in STEM education and careers, she has volunteered for the last decade with organizations around the world including ChickTech, Everwise, WITI, NH Tech Alliance, Microsoft DigiGirlz, wiseHer and AnitaB.org. She continues to pursue opportunities every day to advocate, educate and encourage women and girls to pursue careers in technology. Her passion for diversity and inclusion led her to co-found Diversify Thinking, an initiative focused on moving inclusion from conversation to action. Along with her team, Melissa organizes mentoring programs and creates opportunities for collaboration among diverse thinkers through their Rise & Diversify Breakfast Series.
Technologist
For over 20 years, she has been translating business strategy into tangible outcomes using technology. She pioneered the API strategy for a leading global travel software company and has led product launches working with major enterprise hospitality companies in North America, Europe and Asia.
Need more details?
She received her bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of New Hampshire, although she started as an English, Journalism major before making the shift to the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences. She also holds an executive certificate in Management and Leadership from the MIT Sloan School of Management and is a certified SAFe Program Consultant (SPC4).
