
Melissa Toledo-Ontiveros, MA, MCJ, MPA, is a Native New Mexican who has dedicated her life to helping people throughout New Mexico. She is employed at the Community Action Agency as the director of thriving families, where she works with a team focusing on social determinants of health and narrowing the economic gap for families living and working in colonias, rural, and frontier areas of New Mexico.
Melissa has led community asset and needs assessments, developed, and evaluated programs across the state. She also serves as the chair of a countywide housing task force, addressing social, economic, and health issues. Recently, the task force recently passed an affordable housing GO BOND for six million dollars. Additionally, she sits on several American Public Health Association boards and serves as the New Mexico Public Health Association Affiliate Representative to the APHA Governing Council.
As chair of a Behavioral Health Countywide board, Melissa addresses behavioral health and substance abuse issues in marginalized communities. She is also involved in a regional initiative to address poverty, working with policymakers to pass legislation that increases opportunities in workforce development, economic growth, education, and transportation. Furthermore, Melissa sits on a statewide Workforce Economic Initiative Council and was recently nominated to serve on New Mexico’s Economic Development Advisory Board to the Sustainable Economy Task Force. She also holds a contract with a cohort of state and national philanthropists to address race and gender healing in New Mexico.
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