Melody Morshed is the philanthropy lead for Caring for Colorado’s reproductive equity initiative, ReproCollab. In this role, she supports all grantmaking for ReproCollab’s current funding strategies, builds relationships with current and potential grantees, and seeks opportunities to influence systemic change so that all Coloradans have access to the reproductive health care services of their choice.
Her previous professional experiences include various roles in academic and nonprofit settings, from grants management to assisting laboratory research investigating pulmonary diseases. She completed her bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Colorado and her master’s in public health at the Colorado School of Public Health. Throughout her professional and academic career, Melody’s passion and focus have been on health equity and addressing health disparities for financially under-resourced communities.
Outside of work, Melody enjoys cooking with her husband, binging the newest true crime documentary, or walking her 90-pound mutt, Bean (aka Stinky, The Stink, and Baby Bean).
Melody’s favorite place in Colorado is Red Rocks. She went to her first show there in high school and still try to go to at least a couple of shows every summer.
“One of my earliest experiences with volunteering and community organizing occurred when I was a 12-year-old middle school student, after Hurricane Katrina had devastated the communities of New Orleans. I coordinated a fundraiser with our school’s administration and encouraged students, parents, and teachers to donate. Although it was a small effort, the impact of uniting as a school to aid a community thousands of miles away has remained with me and influenced the course of my professional career.”