On behalf of the DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation, I am pleased to announce that Ms. Melissa Amedeo has accepted the position as our new Executive Director.
Melissa was most recently the Senior Vice President at DCC Marketing of Chicago and brings a wealth of experience to transfer and apply to her new role here in DeKalb County. She has more than 30 years of experience in marketing, business development and strategy.
Melissa is no stranger to DCEDC and DeKalb County. She was central in the development and launch of DCEDC’s Opportunity Unbound marketing brand, collaborating alongside DCEDC staff and board members in bringing together partners in the community, local businesses and area institutions.
Today, Opportunity Unbound continues to effectively promote DeKalb County as a place to “Live, Work, and Play” to professionals, families, students and visitors, attracting new businesses to join those who already call this area “Home.”
Melissa is an accomplished senior executive. She brings experience in working with Fortune 500 brands such as Keebler, Kellogg, DelMonte, Butterball, Milk-Bone, Pup-Peroni and Silk Soy Milk.
While at DCC Marketing, she closed new business leading to more than $35 million in multi-year contracts today. Throughout her career, Melissa conducted more than 50 focus groups to gain insights for the development and launch of successful brand strategies. In addition, she has worked in partnership with global teams to expand U.S. markets.
The skills and experience Melissa brings to her new role in DeKalb County offer exciting new leadership for our organization. Her wide experience in business development, marketing, public relations, data analytics and leadership brings unique insights to DCEDC. Our staff looks forward to working with her and the new energy she will bring to our organization.
Melissa joins us as our new DCEDC executive director starting Monday, Sept. 23.
In addition to being a successful executive, she has a supportive husband and is a mother to three boys, all in college – including one NIU Huskie!
Please help us in welcoming Melissa as we continue to pursue new opportunities for development and growth in DeKalb County.
Finally, we must also thank Paul Borek, former DCEDC Executive Director, for emerging from retirement to fill in as an interim executive director and assisting in Melissa’s on-boarding to her new role. As always, your guidance and support are appreciated.
- Andrea Van Drew is the research and Enterprise Zone assistant at the DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation.