Melissa James is the Founder and CEO of the Tech Connection, which is a recruitment platform that supports the professional development of untapped technical talent from diverse backgrounds. Upon graduating from UMass, Melissa spent a year as an AmeriCorps Program Legal Assistant, for South Coastal Counties Legal Services, before starting her recruiting career as Operations Manager with Sample6 Technologies, a food safety technology start-up. While at Sample6, she also volunteered with the National Black Women’s Society, as their Professional Development Team Leader. After a couple of years with Sample6, she moved on to do some contract work for Google, as a Technical Recruiter for their Tech Student Engagement Team. She took the combined skills she learned in all of these roles, and started up her own recruitment and placement business, having developed a platform to support the professional development of untapped technical talent from diverse backgrounds.
While at UMass, Melissa:
• Was a member of the University Programming Council
• Held a summer internship with Sullivan & Worcester through the Boston Lawyers Group
• Studied abroad in the Youth Institute of Science & Technology in Ghana
