Melissa M. Nelson

For over 30 years, Melissa M. Nelson, EdD has worked where K12 education, mental health services, and legal system sectors intersect. Dr. Nelson has served in numerous roles in urban, suburban, and rural education systems including as elementary and special education teacher, and elementary and secondary school administrator.

Prior to her work in education, Dr. Nelson spent over a decade as a mental health clinician, teacher-counselor, and advocate in various psychiatric, mental health, and legal settings. These settings in Pittsburgh included Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic’s Emergency Room, the Allegheny County Emergency Services Mobile Crisis Unit, the Center for Victims of Violent Crime, and the Pressley Ridge School for the Deaf.

In addition to teaching aspiring superintendents doctorate coursework focused on crisis prevention, intervention, response, and recovery systems at the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Nelson is a sought after state and national trainer and speaker by K12 leaders. As a seasoned educator who understands the operational realities of working within K12 systems, her ability to relate to school system key stakeholders provides the foundation for the collaborative work necessary to develop Emergency Preparedness Plans, Behavior Threat Assessment and Management Teams, and Suicide Screening Systems in K12 settings.

Dr. Nelson is the K12 schools’ Subject Matter Expert for the Southwestern PA Threat Assessment Hub, a grant-based program supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. She is honored to be serving on a team of national Subject Matter Experts involved with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Public-Private Analytic Exchange Program (AEP) which is focused on creating a prevention toolkit for community organizations to address violent extremism. In her daily work, Dr. Nelson is a K12 School Safety and Security Subject Matter Expert for Risk & Strategic Management Consulting Company where she has written and facilitated training, and provided consultation, for thousands of public and private school employees.

Dr. Nelson has been a Forensic Expert with Park Dietz & Associates since July 2024.