Melissa Washington is a Navy veteran, award-winning entrepreneur, author, and the founder of the Women Veterans Alliance — a global community that connects, empowers, and supports women veterans through mentorship, events, and opportunities.

Her journey into entrepreneurship began unexpectedly after being laid off in 2009. With no clear path forward, Melissa began offering free job-seeker workshops in her community, teaching people how to use LinkedIn to find employment — a brand-new concept at the time. Her efforts caught the attention of a neighbor who happened to be LinkedIn’s Director of Sales Effectiveness. Weeks later, she was hired by LinkedIn — no resume, no interview, just trust and word of mouth.

After several years in corporate roles, Melissa once again saw a gap — this time for women veterans. When she couldn’t find a professional network for them, she built one herself. In 2015, the Women Veterans Alliance (WVA) was born, and later expanded to include Women Veterans Giving, the Women Veterans Unconference, Women Veterans Magazine, and a curated online store and business directory exclusively for women veterans.

Through her work, Melissa has:

• United thousands of women veterans across the country

• Raised $20,000+ in grants for veteran-owned women businesses

• Created the only online directory of women veteran–owned businesses

Melissa is also the author of “Get Back to Work” and a contributing author in “Unstoppable: Being Fierce, Fearless & Unfckwithable in Life and Business.”* She is a sought-after speaker, addressing audiences at NAWBO, the Sacramento Business Journal, and Disabled American Veterans (DAV), among many others — inspiring through talks on community-building, entrepreneurship, and women’s empowerment.

Her leadership has earned her national recognition, including:

🏆 Sacramento Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 (2011)

🏆 Soroptimist Ruby Award for Women Helping Women (2016)

🏆 Women Who Mean Business Honoree (2017)

🏆 Center for Women Veterans Trailblazer Award (2019)

🏆 National Women of Influence (2021)

She has been featured on Dr. Phil, Lifetime’s The Balancing Act, SiriusXM, iHeartRadio, ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox.

Today, based in Sacramento, California, Melissa continues to inspire, educate, and motivate others through her story — proving that resilience, purpose, and community can turn adversity into impact.