SYLVIA MELENA
Sylvia Melena is the Founder & Principal of Melena Consulting Group, a leadership and organizational development consulting firm. She is also a two-time international award-winning and best-selling author of Supportive Accountability: How to Inspire People and Improve Performance and its Spanish translation, Responsabilidad solidaria: Cómo mejorar el rendimiento laboral por medio del apoyo. Her leadership philosophy has been featured in the Society of Human Resources Management HR Today, the Human Performance Association, Entrepreneur, LEADx, My Quest for the Best, and other outlets.
LISTEN TO SYLVIA MELENA ON BILL RINGLE'S MY QUEST FOR THE BEST PODCAST
THE PERSON
Sylvia was born in Los Angeles and raised in San Diego, California, the daughter of Mexican immigrants. She is bilingual and bicultural, unapologetically embracing both her Mexican heritage and her American traditions, and seamlessly blending the two.
She loves all people, regardless of their background or status and knows that we’re all equally valuable.
She cares about education, economic empowerment, and social justice.
EDUCATION & CERTIFICATIONS
Sylvia earned an MA in Leadership and Organizational Studies from Azusa Pacific University and a BA in Journalism-Advertising Emphasis with a Minor in Sociology from San Diego State University. She is an Association for Talent Development (ATD) Master Instructional Designer™, a Certified DISC Trainer, and a Certified Coach specializing in leadership and management development. Sylvia is also pursuing her PhD in Leadership Studies from the University of the Cumberlands.
LEADERSHIP BOOKS
Sylvia is the two-time international award-winning and best-selling leadership author of Supportive Accountability: How to Inspire People and Improve Performance and its Spanish translation, Responsabilidad solidaria: Cómo mejorar el rendimiento laboral por medio del apoyo.
LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE
Prior to working full-time in her consultancy, Sylvia dedicated 26 years of her life to serving children, adults, and families through her work at the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) and MAXIMUS, Inc., a health and human services consulting firm.
Her career included nearly 20 years in the administration of public policy, operations, automation, quality assurance, compliance, budget, and contracts. She spent 14 of these years in middle and senior management.
Sylvia served as the Assistant Deputy Director for HHSA, Strategic Planning & Operational Support Division, Self-Sufficiency Programs. In this role, she had oversight of:
- County-wide strategic planning, policy and program development, audit compliance, and performance management for HHSA’s public assistance and anti-poverty programs.
- County-wide strategic planning, policy and program development, audit compliance, performance management, and operations for HHSA’s centralized public assistance call center and the San Diego region’s community action agency.
- The programs under her oversight served about half a million county residents and provided nearly $200 million in benefits annually.
As a Human Services Operations Manager and a Health and Human Services Administrator, she managed operations for several Family Resource Centers (public assistance offices) and the county’s centralized call center. She managed workforces ranging from about 80 to 300 employees in collaboration with highly engaged leadership teams. She also managed county-wide policy, operations, automation, and the $52-millon budget for the Child Care Program, which was staffed by about 100 employees throughout the county.
Throughout her career, Sylvia was privileged to serve many people and to lead the development and implementation of successful employee engagement and performance improvement efforts and initiatives. She also served on steering committees leading major transitions.
Sylvia started her health and human services career as a front-line eligibility worker and workforce development social worker and experienced first-hand the impact of various leadership styles. As a leader, she also experienced challenges and growing pains. These experiences coupled with her love for people sparked Sylvia’s passion for developing strong managers and leaders.
AS SEEN IN THESE AND MORE
