“The best advice I have ever received was: find a career that you are passionate about and support yourself with work that you love instead of simply accepting a job… then it will never feel like work. The day I joined CooperRiis as a Recovery Coordinator, I stopped working ‘a job’ as a mental health specialist; instead, I became a CooperRiis team member.”
Mel has a combined 25 years in secondary education and mental health. She cannot think of a more rewarding and well-matched destination on earth than to be here to share the knowledge and experiences she packed into her career.
Mel earned her Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Biology at East Carolina University and her Masters of Arts Degree in Human Services Counseling at Liberty University, Virginia.
Mel grew up about an hour from the Farm Campus in a small Western North Carolina town and frequently traveled along Highway 108 through Polk County to visit her grandparents. She remembers passing the beautiful CooperRiis campus, wondering what it must be like from the other side of the treelined fence, the beautiful pastures, the golden red-roofed buildings—never knowing what an amazing community of people resided and worked there.
“I am full of gratitude and joy to be surrounded by the residents and staff making up the CooperRiis Community; it feels like home.”
