When I was 11 years old, I taught myself to code. I felt like the whole world was unlocked - mine to discover and create. I loved it.

I couldn’t wait to enrol in my high school computer science course. Even though I did well and loved it, I wasn’t encouraged to take any more courses. I didn’t know it then but this would be a shared experience for so many young women like me.

High school ended and I went off to university. Even though I didn't pursue any further formal coding training, I used my basic coding skills time and time again to build landing pages for projects or little apps to get more done with less - even earning me the nickname “Super Mel”.

After graduating university and working a year in accounting, I was so unfulfilled and burned out. I quit one day without a plan for what I'd do next.

I had always been entrepreneurial - launching a neighborhood newsletter and charging $0.50 for adspace, building websites when I was 11 and 12, launching a franchise in university, etc. etc. I knew I could create something again. I also knew that if I wanted to create something scaleble and impactful, I’d need to dust off those coding skills again too….

I started by immersing myself in the Toronto tech community - events, meetups and hackathons - mostly dominated by men - and that’s when I reconnected with my classmate, Heather Payne. We wanted to learn more coding skills and there wasn’t anything that appealed to us - that was social, collaborative and designed or welcoming for women.

We weren't alone. At the time (and still today) only about 1 in 4 technology roles were held by women. It was an industry and skillset dominated by men. Technology wasn't going anywhere in our future - a future we wanted all people to be part of building - women especially.

So, together we committed to changing that. We planned and hosted a brainstorming session on July 6, 2011 about #LadiesLearningCode in Toronto and the rest is history!

Since 2011, I have helped to launch, build and scale Ladies Learning Code - now Canada Learning Code as its CEO. With a team across the country, we’ve built one of the country's leading education organizations teaching future-proof technical skills and helping create over 1 million learning experiences for people in Canada and raising close to $50M in funding from North America's leading technology and Fortune 500 companies including the first cryptocurrency donation in Canada.

Described as “unstoppable” and a “trailblazer”, I have a vision of the world in which all people have the skills and confidence to leverage technology responsibly to create a better, more inclusive future.

As a thought leader and practitioner, I've been featured in media outlets like CTV, CBC, and the Globe & Mail. I’ve been an advisor for various groups such as the Economic Strategy Tables and Future Skills Council. My leadership was recognized through a Governor General Award, RBC Entrepreneur of the Year, WXN Top 100 and Canada’s Top 40 Under 40.

When I'm not building, I share insights and inspiration through speaking engagements, teaching undergraduate students at the Ivey Business School at Western University how to leverage information technology and coaching other entrepreneurs. I’m also an active Board Member in a range of organizations doing important work to build a better future.

Building things is hard. And, we need more people to do it. My personal mission is to help 1,000,000 people build things that matter.

And, I’m just getting started!

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