She works tirelessly and has a big heart, and is bent on changing the world. But I don’t need to tell you that, you already know her!
Thank you for taking the time to support my nomination of Melissa for the CSBJ 2019 Rising Stars! I’m including my answers below, please feel free to elaborate / adjust to your own liking! If you’d prefer to write a free-form letter supporting her nomination, you can email it directly to Jenn Cancellier at the CSBJ at jenn.cancellier@csbj.com.
Nominated by: (your name / address / email address)
Nominee Name: Melissa Howard
Criteria: Age Yes, Melissa will be between the ages of 21-39 on the day of the event.
Company or Organization: The Carter Payne / Local Relic / Common Cause Catering
Current Position: Owner
LinkedIn Profile Link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissamichelehoward/
Business Phone: 719-306-5006
Cell Phone: 719-339-0145
Work Email: melissa@commoncausecatering.org
Company Address: 320 S Weber St, Colorado Springs, CO 80903
Criteria: Professional Accomplishment
Career History:
Common Cause Catering / Owner / 2011-Present
Local Relic / Owner / 2015 – Present
MD Anderson Cancer Center / Programs Administrator / Manager / 2006-2010
Business Affiliations, Professional Associations, Memberships, Certificates
Court of Master Sommeliers / Sommelier / 2011
Cicerone Certification Program / Cicerone / 2011
Criteria: Volunteer Accomplishment
Community, Civic & Non-profit Involvement
Pikes Peak Urban Gardens / Treasurer/Board Member / 2018-Present
Reach Pikes Peak / Board Member / 2018-Present
One Million Cups / Coordinator / 2017-Present
Partners in Housing / Culinary/Life Skills Instructor / 2012-Present
Marian House Soup Kitchen / Chef Volunteer / 2011-Present
Significant Professional Accomplishments
Successful Small Business Owner
MBA Finance, University of Houston
Bachelors of Journalism, University of Texas
Why are you nominating this person for Rising Stars?
Write something great about Melissa here! I’ll share what I wrote, but please don’t copy and paste this, I’m only including it for inspiration!
Melissa works tirelessly to advance the causes of social justice, economic equality, and the arts, through her role as the owner of three Social Enterprises, Common Cause Catering, Local Relic, and The Carter Payne. She is in her eighth year working to develop life skills and provide culinary training for individuals transitioning out of Homeless and Domestic Abuse situations with The Marian House and Partners in Housing (and then transitioning them to full time employment via internships with Common Cause). She is in her fourth year supporting local arts, local agriculture, and environmental causes through beer via Local Relic, and has reopened the historic Carter Payne chapel as a place for community conversations, art exhibits, performing arts, and a safe space for all to gather, bringing the social impact businesses together under one roof to multiply their impact. Paired with her ever-growing cadre of non-profit board service, professional networks, and willingness to both model the way and encourage those around her, she’s an inspiration to many, and has many years to come of making the world a better place for everybody, and Colorado Springs a place we can all be proud to call home!
Thanks to each of you for taking the time to support Melissa’s nomination! If you have any questions, please feel free to reach me at 719-270-0077 (office), 719-329-8474 (cell) or jeff@localrelic.com. Thank you!