Melissa is the founding director of the COE, where she blends her 25-years of experience in operational excellence with her expertise in human development, family resilience and intervention design to address the county’s most complex social challenges. To achieve the Center’s mission, Freigang leads interdisciplinary teams made up of representatives from agencies across industry, education, non-profits, economic development, government, health and behavioral health systems. She leverages their expertise and leads community engagements to achieve common goals. Freigang identifies root causes to the region’s growing social challenges, unites stakeholders to eliminate agency silos, and implements human-centered designed strategies to benefit all Weber County residents, resulting in a thriving, resilient community.  

 

She is the Co-Chair of the Governor’s Commission on Women in the Economy, Co-Chair of the Utah Alliance on the Social Determinants of Health, founding member of the Utah Child Care Cooperative (UC3), leads the Weber County Welfare Reform Commission, and serves on the Executive Committee of the Northern Utah Chamber Coalition. She also serves on multiple non-profit boards including the Salvation Army, Ogden Civic Action Network (OgdenCAN), Family Counseling Services,  and the United Partnership Council.

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Freigang holds a bachelor’s degree in human development, family consumer studies from the University of Utah, a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Gonzaga University, and post-graduate certifications in workforce development, strategic planning, leadership, peer mentoring, and operational excellence. She is a former US Senior National Team member, three-time NCAA All-American and member of two NCAA Division I National Championship gymnastics teams at the University of Utah.