Melissa Nemec
Managing Director
Melissa Nemec serves as Managing Director of The Gambrell Foundation, where she oversees day-to-day operations, strengthens partner and stakeholder relationships, and ensures the effective execution of the Foundation’s mission and priorities
Over the past three years at The Gambrell Foundation, Melissa has developed deep institutional knowledge of the organization’s work, partnerships, and grantees. She has played a central role in coordinating cross-sector relationships, supporting program execution, and shaping the internal systems that underpin the Foundation’s approach.
Prior to this role, Melissa served as Program Director at The Gambrell Foundation, where she led partnership coordination and supported programmatic execution across the Foundation’s focus areas.
Before joining The Gambrell Foundation, Melissa served as Executive Assistant to the Executive Vice President of Community Programs & Civic Leadership at Foundation For The Carolinas. In this capacity, she supported multiple affiliated foundations and grant programs, including the Charlotte Mecklenburg Community Foundation, Cole Foundation, Community Foundation of Richmond County, Foundation for a Healthy Carolina, A Way Home Endowment, and Children’s Medical Fund boards. She also contributed to key initiatives, including the Arts Infusion Fund, the Knight Arts Tech Infusion Fund, and Beyond Open.
Prior to entering the world of philanthropy, Melissa worked in social media marketing, public relations, and influencer marketing, with roles at Social Ape Marketing, Tech Talent South, and PureRED Marketing. She enjoyed working with clients such as Legion Brewing, Lowe’s, Rich & Bennett (known for the largest St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl), WORX, and Northwood Retail.
Melissa lives in East Charlotte with her husband, two sons, and their pets, Waffles & Goose. Melissa’s hobbies include reading (her Goodreads goal for 2026 is 60 books), astrology, pop culture, needlepoint, Mahjong, and time with friends and family.
On Melissa’s Desk
The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters
In The Art of Gathering, Priya Parker argues that the gatherings in our lives are lackluster and unproductive—which they don’t have to be. We rely too much on routine and the conventions of gatherings when we should focus on distinctiveness and the people involved. At a time when coming together is more important than ever, Parker sets forth a human-centered approach to gathering that will help everyone create meaningful, memorable experiences, large and small, for work and for play.
by Priya Parker
Learn More
Mattering: The Secret to a Life of Deep Connection and Purpose
In this groundbreaking work, Wallace makes an urgent case: mattering—the feeling that we are valued and have an opportunity to add value—is a core human need, as essential to our well-being as food and water. And yet, in today’s world, that fundamental need is going unmet, with perilous consequences. As mental and social health crises surge, we often blame social media, the pace of modern life, and polarizing politics. But beneath these issues lies a deeper crisis, what Wallace calls “an erosion of mattering.”
by Jennifer Breheny Wallace
Learn More
The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore
An affectionate and engaging history of the American bookstore and its central place in American cultural life, from department stores to indies, from highbrow dealers trading in first editions to sidewalk vendors, and from chains to special-interest community destinations
by Evan Friss
Learn More
Democracy in Retrograde
At this fragile moment in history, Emily Amick, lawyer and former counsel to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, alongside New York Times bestselling author and Betches Media cofounder Sami Sage, want to reframe civic engagement as a form of self-care: an assertion of one’s values and self-respect. This book is not just about voting, but about claiming your singular place in your country and community.
by Sami Sage and Emily Amick
Learn More
