Melissa Castle-Kirincic serves as Program Operations Specialist Sr. for the Center for the Study of Economic Liberty. Melissa joined ASU in October 2016 as Event Coordinator for New College at West campus. Soonafter, she became a founding team member of the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership and served in the same capacity as Event Coordinator, helping to coordinate more than 30 events in its inaugural year with audiences of 20-800. Notable guests of the school's lecture series included Jonathan Haidt, Steven Pinker and a visit by Cornel West and Robert P. George.
Melissa is originally from Indiana, where she had served as Development Director for United Way of Porter County for eight years. During her tenure, she led efforts in raising $15 million for the community, managing the Annual Campaign and special events such as the Annual Golf Classic and County Fair Auction. Prior to United Way, she served in community relationship roles for Meals on Wheels and March of Dimes where she managed corporate volunteer programs and coordinated the Annual Dine with the Chefs Gala, WalkAmerica®, and a Delegate Dinner with Miss USA®. While most of her career has been in the nonprofit sector, Melissa also gained valuable experience serving as Public Relations Manager for the marketing team of Centier Bank, a multi-billion dollar, family-owned bank. There, she served as the liaison to branch managers of 22 communities and was a member of the experiential branding team responsible for a new logo rollout.