Melissa Garcia

Melissa has recently earned a well-deserved promotion to Senior Executive Assistant for JBMF. She is the daughter to Mexican parents who came to California in hopes of a better future for their family. She is a native of San Joaquin county, proudly born and raised in the 209 (Stockton, CA).

The second oldest in a family with six children, she considers herself a “second mom” spending a lot of time supporting her siblings. Her love for her brothers and sister shaped her decision to study psychology — specifically in the subject of Child and Adolescent Development. She is the first in her family to graduate college and received her B.A. from Sacramento State.

At the James B. McClatchy Foundation, she supports our CEO, Priscilla, and serves as liaison and staff support for the foundation’s Board of Directors, Chair and Vice Chair. Prior to JBMF, Melissa managed the office of a public relations firm based in the Sacramento region.

She understands the importance of organization support with her past work in office administration and looks forward to serving the Central Valley in her new role in the philanthropy field.