Melissa Kennedy serves as Executive Director of the International Rett Syndrome Foundation, joining the Foundation in September of 2017 after dedicating 25 years to serving patients and their families in health systems leadership roles. Upon receiving a Master of Health Administration, Melissa co-founded HealthCare Research Systems, a patient satisfaction and outcomes research company with a mission of embedding patient voice in health care delivery systems. The company grew exponentially, culminating in the sale of the company to National Research Corporation. Melissa then joined the Health Improvement Collaborative of Greater Cincinnati as Operations Director, assuming responsibility for strategic oversight of Collaborative programs, including the execution of a nationally recognized, health care transparency initiative. She served as Project Director for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Cincinnati Aligning Forces for Quality program. Her activities earned her Exemplary Service recognition from the Ohio Senate. Most recently, Melissa was Executive Director, Women's Services, at TriHealth, the largest provider of services to women and babies in the Ohio Valley region.