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Melina Higbee currently serves as the Strategic Programs Administrator for UCC Church Building & Loan Fund. Melina has a key role in overseeing and implementing strategic programs that focus on the transformation of neighborhood, community and region, working with churches and faith organizations, local community development corporations, philanthropists, investors, government officials, planners, developers, civic groups and neighborhood leaders. She has worked for the United Church of Christ National Setting for 11 years and began her service with Wider Church Ministries where she led the successful launch of WCM’s Haystack Society – an endowment to support mission practices in global settings.

In 2014, Ms. Higbee began working in the department of Office of Philanthropy and Stewardship (OPS) as the Coordinator for Donor Relations. In this position, she helped to coordinate various components of the UCC’s fundraising strategies, launched a centralized acknowledgment process to help the United Church of Christ be more responsive to donors, and has developed thoughtful strategies for donor engagement. Melina Higbee was promoted to Associate Director, Campaigns, Appeals and Special in the Office of OPS in 2016. In this position her responsibilities included overseeing the coordination and implementation of the annual fund. As the associate director, Melina planned the first bi-annual Stepping Into Stewardship Conference and recently coordinated the making of the new OCWM video.