After graduating from Central Catholic, Melinda earned a marketing and finance degree from La Salle University, then spent the first 10 years of her career in the corporate environment at ADP, both in Philadelphia and New York City. She enjoyed the structure, earning potential, training and corporate culture of that time. After moving back to Berks in 2006, she soon joined the Empire Group and worked with her current husband, Harry, at Empire Home Center. Harry and Melinda purchased the home center, located in Leesport from his family in 2019, and in 2020, they opened a second location in West Reading. Their mission is for everyone to love the home they are in and to utilize every space in their house. Through Empire, Melinda has the ability to lead and bring great products and real estate opportunities to help Berks County thrive in the hope of making Reading better than it was before.

Crediting Central Catholic...

Melinda remembers being very shy during her time at Holy Guardian Angels, but the summer before ninth grade, when all of the schools feeding into Central Catholic joined together for practice on the field hockey field, she recalls a fire lighting in her that never went out. Melinda loved everything about her four years at Central and is forever grateful to her parents for working hard to send her there. The relationships she formed with students, teachers, parents and coaches are life time friendships. Melinda was class president her senior year at Central and says she would do it 100 times over again. The teachers allowed her to announce at so many games, and after four years she came out of her shell. Melinda loves her classmates and NEVER misses a reunion. She and her class plan to have them every two years going forward.

Advice for the Saints...

Melinda's advice is to enjoy every step of your career. Learn everything that you can, and remember that experience matters more than anything. Each generation has so much to offer each other. Again, enjoy, learn and perfect your skills so you have the most to offer yourself and your employers.

In her spare time...

Almost every second of Melinda's spare time is spent with her family. Melinda and Harry have five boys from 27 to 11 and spend most of their time with them, whether it is at a sports game or family outing. Melinda loves walking and spending time with her grey lab Lucy and also enjoys doing yoga and reading.