Melinda Pierson is a 2025-2026 Teach Plus Illinois Policy Fellow and social worker at Carbondale Community High School in Carbondale, Illinois. She works with students to overcome barriers, identify personal strengths, and maintain mental health and has spearheaded trauma-informed classroom and school initiatives in the three districts in which she has worked. In addition, she has served on restorative discipline teams and led schoolwide social emotional educational efforts. Melinda, who is a licensed clinical social worker, is certified in Trauma Informed Child Welfare and opened a private counseling practice. She began her professional life in politics and public policy, working for governors, state agencies, and nonprofits in North Carolina. Melinda earned her BA in political science from the University of North Carolina at Asheville and her MSW from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.
