Full Name
Melissa Fors Shackelford MBA
Job Title
Marketing and Growth Consultant
Company
Shackelford Strategies
Speaker Bio
Melissa Fors Shackelford brings over 20 years of experience as a healthcare marketing executive, having held key roles at industry-leading organizations, including Optum, Hazelden Betty Ford, and Cigna’s Health Services Business, Evernorth.
As Principal of her own consulting company, Shackelford Strategies, Melissa advises startups on marketing, branding, and go-to-market strategies.
She is an advisor to MobriseHealth, an innovative remote healthcare organization, where she provides strategic go-to-market guidance to support its mission of transforming healthcare delivery.
Melissa Fors Shackelford is passionate about fostering innovation and supports emerging leaders through her work consulting, mentoring, and advising marketing professionals and early-stage startups. She provides strategic guidance on go-to-market strategies, brand development, and navigating the complexities of the healthcare industry.
Recognized as a thought leader in healthcare marketing, Melissa is a frequent speaker at industry conferences, a recurring guest on healthcare and marketing podcasts, and a prolific writer for leading publications, focusing on topics such as healthcare branding, inclusive communications, and purpose-driven marketing. Her contributions have significantly advanced the field and earned her the prestigious Nonprofit Marketer of the Year award from the American Marketing Association in 2019 and the Women's Health Leadership TRUST Award in 2020.
Melissa holds an MBA in Marketing from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, and a BA from the University of Minnesota. She remains deeply engaged in the healthcare community as a member of the American Hospital Association’s Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development (SHSMD) Editorial Advisory Board. Melissa also serves on the boards of the Women’s Health Leadership TRUST and Asbury Communities, Inc., where she chairs the Governance and Nominations Committee.
As Principal of her own consulting company, Shackelford Strategies, Melissa advises startups on marketing, branding, and go-to-market strategies.
She is an advisor to MobriseHealth, an innovative remote healthcare organization, where she provides strategic go-to-market guidance to support its mission of transforming healthcare delivery.
Melissa Fors Shackelford is passionate about fostering innovation and supports emerging leaders through her work consulting, mentoring, and advising marketing professionals and early-stage startups. She provides strategic guidance on go-to-market strategies, brand development, and navigating the complexities of the healthcare industry.
Recognized as a thought leader in healthcare marketing, Melissa is a frequent speaker at industry conferences, a recurring guest on healthcare and marketing podcasts, and a prolific writer for leading publications, focusing on topics such as healthcare branding, inclusive communications, and purpose-driven marketing. Her contributions have significantly advanced the field and earned her the prestigious Nonprofit Marketer of the Year award from the American Marketing Association in 2019 and the Women's Health Leadership TRUST Award in 2020.
Melissa holds an MBA in Marketing from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, and a BA from the University of Minnesota. She remains deeply engaged in the healthcare community as a member of the American Hospital Association’s Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development (SHSMD) Editorial Advisory Board. Melissa also serves on the boards of the Women’s Health Leadership TRUST and Asbury Communities, Inc., where she chairs the Governance and Nominations Committee.
