Meet the Founder – Melissa O'Neill
The Visionary Behind Growing Trees:
Passion, Purpose, and Expertise
Meet the Founder – Melissa O'Neill
The Visionary Behind Growing Trees:
Passion, Purpose, and Expertise
Meet the Founder – Melissa O'Neill
The Visionary Behind Growing Trees:
Passion, Purpose, and Expertise
Meet the Founder – Melissa O'Neill
The Visionary Behind Growing Trees:
Passion, Purpose, and Expertise
I wish to share a little something about myself. For the last 30+ years, I have had a deeply rooted desire to make an impact on people.
This desire had made me restless with jobs when I was young because there was no impact; I made no difference in the lives of others.
I have found fulfillment professionally through a variety of positions. Before beginning college studies, I poured myself into teaching young children in a daycare. During my undergrad, I worked as a pharmacy technician, helping patients get much needed medications. After graduating, I worked with new moms helping develop the parent child bond with the goal of preventing child abuse and then worked in the community mental health center serving adults who struggled with severe symptoms of mental illness. Both of these positions were in a nonprofit organization. During my graduate program, I took a role in management at a small veterinary clinic as the office manager. My role in leadership started as the executive director in a pregnancy resource center. I led through the onset of covid and its significant impacts on providing services and meeting the budget. In this position, I also wrote grants.
One could say that I am a deeply mission motivated person. For life to have the most meaning, good must be done for the benefit of others.
Every single struggle I encountered personally is “worth it” if my struggles can somehow help other people. This quality is true of many who enter the nonprofit sector. Oftentimes, individuals forfeit equal pay as their for-profit counterparts because the mission is meaningful or more important to them. However, now I am in the for-profit sector….by choice. I opened this business, though, to utilize my education and experience to the fullest. I see the most potential impact in helping nonprofits develop in order to expand their mission and make more difference in the lives of others. My diverse experiences have given me a unique perspective in order to approach each situation with creativity and a broad scope of information as a frame of reference. I see the big picture through the details and am actually quite a detail-oriented person.
The education that equipped me was first a Bachelor’s of Science in Human Services from Bethel College. Human services paralleled social work and gave me an understanding of people, communication, and leadership. Then I earned a Master of Public Administration from the University of Southern California. The tract I focused on was nonprofit management, and I am proud to say that at the year I graduated, USC tied with Princeton in the rankings published by US News & World Report for second in the nation in this program. These studies were rigorous and I am beyond grateful for the depth of learning and experience I gained. Real world experience in consulting occurred as part of coursework. All of which inspired this business, Growing Trees Grant Writing & Consulting; the means by which I make the most difference in our communities. Real world experience in consulting occurred as part of coursework.
All of which inspired this business, Growing Trees Grant Writing & Consulting; the means by which I make the most difference in our communities.
I wish to share a little something about myself. For the last 30+ years, I have had a deeply rooted desire to make an impact on people.
This desire had made me restless with jobs when I was young because there was no impact; I made no difference in the lives of others.
I have found fulfillment professionally through a variety of positions. Before beginning college studies, I poured myself into teaching young children in a daycare. During my undergrad, I worked as a pharmacy technician, helping patients get much needed medications. After graduating, I worked with new moms helping develop the parent child bond with the goal of preventing child abuse and then worked in the community mental health center serving adults who struggled with severe symptoms of mental illness. Both of these positions were in a nonprofit organization. During my graduate program, I took a role in management at a small veterinary clinic as the office manager. My role in leadership started as executive director in pregnancy resource center. I led through the onset of covid and the impacts this made to providing services and meeting the budget. In this position, I also wrote grants.
One could say that I am a deeply mission motivated person. For life to have the most meaning, good must be done for the benefit of others.
Every single struggle I encountered personally is “worth it” if my struggles can somehow help other people. This quality is true of many who enter the nonprofit sector. Oftentimes, individuals forfeit equal pay as their for-profit counterparts because the mission is meaningful or more important to them. However, now I am in the for-profit sector….by choice. I opened this business, though, to utilize my education and experience to the fullest. I see the most potential impact in helping nonprofits develop in order to expand their mission and make more difference in the lives of others. My diverse experiences have given me a unique perspective in order to approach each situation with creativity and a broad scope of information as a frame of reference. I see the big picture through the details and am actually quite a detail-oriented person.
The education that equipped me was first a Bachelor’s of Science in Human Services from Bethel College. Human services paralleled social work and gave me an understanding of people, communication, and leadership. Then I earned a Master of Public Administration from the University of Southern California. The tract I focused on was nonprofit management, and I am proud to say that at the year I graduated, USC tied with Princeton in the rankings published by US News & World Report for second in the nation in this program. These studies were rigorous and I am beyond grateful for the depth of learning and experience I gained. Real world experience in consulting occurred as part of coursework. All of which inspired this business, Growing Trees Grant Writing & Consulting; the means by which I make the most difference in our communities. Real world experience in consulting occurred as part of coursework.
All of which inspired this business, Growing Trees Grant Writing & Consulting; the means by which I make the most difference in our communities.
I wish to share a little something about myself. For the last 30+ years, I have had a deeply rooted desire to make an impact on people.
This desire had made me restless with jobs when I was young because there was no impact; I made no difference in the lives of others.
I have found fulfillment professionally through a variety of positions. Before beginning college studies, I poured myself into teaching young children in a daycare. During my undergrad, I worked as a pharmacy technician, helping patients get much needed medications. After graduating, I worked with new moms helping develop the parent child bond with the goal of preventing child abuse and then worked in the community mental health center serving adults who struggled with severe symptoms of mental illness. Both of these positions were in a nonprofit organization. During my graduate program, I took a role in management at a small veterinary clinic as the office manager. My role in leadership started as executive director in pregnancy resource center. I led through the onset of covid and the impacts this made to providing services and meeting the budget. In this position, I also wrote grants.
One could say that I am a deeply mission motivated person. For life to have the most meaning, good must be done for the benefit of others.
Every single struggle I encountered personally is “worth it” if my struggles can somehow help other people. This quality is true of many who enter the nonprofit sector. Oftentimes, individuals forfeit equal pay as their for-profit counterparts because the mission is meaningful or more important to them. However, now I am in the for-profit sector….by choice. I opened this business, though, to utilize my education and experience to the fullest. I see the most potential impact in helping nonprofits develop in order to expand their mission and make more difference in the lives of others. My diverse experiences have given me a unique perspective in order to approach each situation with creativity and a broad scope of information as a frame of reference. I see the big picture through the details and am actually quite a detail-oriented person.The education that equipped me was first a Bachelor’s of Science in Human Services from Bethel College. Human services paralleled social work and gave me an understanding of people, communication, and leadership. Then I earned a Master of Public Administration from the University of Southern California. The tract I focused on was nonprofit management, and I am proud to say that at the year I graduated, USC tied with Princeton in the rankings published by US News & World Report for second in the nation in this program. These studies were rigorous and I am beyond grateful for the depth of learning and experience I gained. Real world experience in consulting occurred as part of coursework. All of which inspired this business, Growing Trees Grant Writing & Consulting; the means by which I make the most difference in our communities. Real world experience in consulting occurred as part of coursework.
All of which inspired this business, Growing Trees Grant Writing & Consulting; the means by which I make the most difference in our communities.
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