Melanie McClellan

Melanie McClellan currently works as a Community Support Specialist at Crescent Care. In this position, she is responsible for supporting clients as they make the difficult transition from homelessness to housing. She is passionate about making sure her clients have equitable access to resources and care in their community. She brings this passion to her part-time job as at River Oaks Hospital where she works doing group therapy and doing discharge planning for patients. Her therapeutic work focuses on teaching her clients the value of mindfulness, goal setting, and positive self-regard. Prior to living in New Orleans, Melanie worked at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital as a data analyst, where her goal was to create more efficient workflows in the hospital system and reduce patient readmittance rates. She spent her weekends working at a Saturday program that helped children with autism integrate with their community. Melanie credits that weekend job at New Horizons in Autism for helping her realize her love of clinical work and encouraging her to pursue her master's degree. Melanie was born and raised in Southern New Jersey. She attended Rutgers University for her undergraduate education and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science. She moved to New Orleans in 2016 to attend Tulane University, where she earned her Master of Social Work and Master of Public Health. Outside of work, Melanie loves to spend time riding her bike, watching movies, and trying new restaurants. Occasionally, she volunteers as an EMT for local events and festivals.