Official Bio

Melissa Vine, MA, LMHC, a licensed mental health counselor with 15 years of experience in business ownership, is a professional speaker (www.melissavine.com) and the Executive Director at The Beacon, a home and programming for women recovering from abuse, incarceration, homelessness, and substance use. As a speaker, leader, and domestic violence survivor, she passionately empowers others to act with courage in the face of life and work challenges. She received a bachelor’s in Communication Studies in 2002, graduated summa cum laude with a master’s in Professional Counseling in 2016, and is a JD Candidate at Drake Law School as an Iowa State Supreme Court Scholar. Melissa was the Nexstar Media/WHO-13 2022 Remarkable Woman of the Year, in the 2021 class of the Des Moines Business Record's Forty Under 40, 2018 recipient of One to Watch, and the 2014 recipient of Service Business of the Year. She has spoken for the Business Record's Fearless launch, Iowa Board of Regents, Arts Midwest, Iowa Healthcare Financial Management Women's Conference, KU Medical Center, Young Professionals Connection Gala, and the Iowa Small Business Summit. Melissa lives in West Des Moines, Iowa with her four teenage boys.