Melissa Hayes

Melissa Hayes is the Director of Marketing and Communications at NobleReach Foundation, where she oversees all marketing, external communications, PR, and event initiatives for NobleReach and its partners. Prior to NobleReach, she was the Director of Marketing at IQT Emerge, supporting all internal and external marketing efforts of this division of In-Q-Tel, Inc. During her time at IQT, Melissa’s efforts spanned working in external affairs, event management, portfolio company support, partner management, marketing, and communications.

Prior to her time in the innovation space, Melissa worked in the nonprofit sector. She supported fund development, donor management, and fundraising efforts at the Heart of America Foundation, a national volunteer-based nonprofit focused on improving education headquartered in Washington, DC. Before that, she worked on the fund development team at the Arizona Science Center, a nationally renowned science and technology museum.

Melissa earned her MBA from the Darden School of Business, at the University of Virginia with concentrations in leadership, strategy, entrepreneurship, ESG, and social impact, and a BA in communications from Arizona State University. She is a member of the Junior League of Washington and volunteers regularly throughout the community.