Melody Myers Sugg came to the Donaghey Scholars Program from Jacksonville High School and earned her bachelor of arts in speech communication from UA Little Rock in 1995. She went on to complete a master of public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and holds the Certified Fund Raising Executive credential. Her career has been built almost entirely in nonprofit leadership and philanthropy, including executive roles with the American Diabetes Association, the Museum of Discovery, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, along with leadership service in the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Today she serves as vice president of organizational operations at the National Eczema Association, where she previously led the philanthropy team. Her work has consistently focused on the operational and fundraising infrastructure that allows mission driven organizations to grow.