Meet Melissa Knabe
Director of Marketing and Communications
A marketing, branding and media professional, I lived and worked internationally for nonprofits and educational entities for more than 20 years. I am a wordsmith, photographer, editor of pictures and words, a layout designer and television producer with rich experience in marketing for nonprofits.
For much of my adult life I lived in the German capital of Berlin, working as a TV producer, magazine editor and writer, producing programs in English and German for an international broadcasting ministry. I also served as editor and graphic designer of a magazine for faith-based European film and TV professionals. Since returning to the U.S. in 2014, I have worked in marketing roles for an online learning company, an international travel company and a continuing legal education foundation.
Jesus used parables to illustrate his life teachings because people remember real-life stories and anecdotes. As a photojournalist and PR professional, I’m a storyteller at heart and love helping nonprofits tell their unique stories. One of my professional tenets is that the best product or service cannot fulfill its purpose if no one has heard about it. The key is to create the most effective marketing strategy to publish content within an optimal mix of shared, earned and owned media.
I live near Charlottesville and met my husband, a German attorney, during a scholarship year abroad. We have two children, fraternal twins who attended Washington & Lee University and the University of Richmond. Aside from photography, I love nature and traveling, playing tennis, pickleball and most recently golf.