Melissa A. Evens
Director of External Relations
As director of external relations, Melissa Evens creates and executes strategies to engage, communicate and build collaborative partnerships throughout the division of Student Life.
Melissa previously worked at the Purdue Krannert School of Management in leadership positions. She served as the director of the Communication Center since 2014. In this role, she collaborated with various shareholders including faculty, staff, students, alumni, community and corporate partners to amply case study experiences. In 2015, there were 72 case participants. In 2022, there were 2000 participants offered both inside and outside of courses.
Before directing the center, she was the co-director of Military and Veterans Affairs and Social Responsibility, co-director of the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV), associate director of Special Events, and manager of Special Events. Melissa is an advocate for student leadership and success and continues to demonstrate this.
Melissa is a double Boilermaker with an undergraduate degree in what is now Purdue’s Hospitality and Tourism Management. She holds her Master of Science in Communication from the Brian Lamb School of Communication. Melissa is a student success coach with her training from LifeBound in Colorado. She is a protocol consultant and a Gallup Strengths workshop facilitator and continues to expand her knowledge.
Melissa is passionate about creating value and making a positive difference in her community. She is a supporter and former board member for Water for Good, a nonprofit organization building water wells in the Central African Republic. Locally, she and her family prepare meals for the Lafayette Urban Ministry Homeless Shelter. Melissa enjoys growing sunflowers, hiking, baking bread, visiting farmer’s markets, exploring historic neighborhoods, cheering for the Boilermakers, reading fiction, practicing photography, volunteering in her community and spending time with her family and friends.