Melissa Newton has worked in the banking industry for over 20 years. She is a research expert on financial matters and a dedicated advocate for financial literacy.

At present she serves as the Director for Financial Literacy with a Midwestern bank. In this capacity, she has partnered with community leaders to teach financial literacy to young people. In addition to working with local educators, she has collaborated with Microsoft Corporation to teach money matters to student members of the National High School Basketball Association. Various curriculum utilized has included the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s "Money Smart for Young Adults" and BancVue’s "MoneyIsland," an online interactive gaming program for tweens. She also writes a column called MoneySense for a community bank which provides readers with articles to help better manage their personal finances.

Melissa’s speaking and writing focuses on the basics in financial education for adults and young people. She is the author of the first-ever published personal finance digital shortBook, "The Fiscal Cliff: Are Your Money Safety Nets Ready?" Her book “Look Smart, Be Smart: How to Create a New Image for a New Job was released in 2010. She has also had two papers published related to financial literacy, i.e., "Princess or Pauper: Are Women Securing Their Financial Future?" and "Money Smart Kids for the 21st Century." These are the first in a series of papers examining financial literacy programs and policies.

Melissa also founded a personal finance blog at MoneyBasicsU.com, which will be uploaded soon. Her unique blog will teach the basics about money and include “Quick Quizzes.” In addition, Melissa is a Director with Citizens for American Manufacturing, a not-for-profit organization supporting the message of the importance of the U.S. industrial base and its impact on the U.S. economy. She is a member of the American Economic Association, Greater Oak Brook, Illinois Chamber of Commerce, and the Society for Human Resource Management.

For several years, Melissa was an active member of Toastmasters International in her community club serving as president, and vice president/public relations. She achieved her certification in the Communication and Leadership Program and won numerous speech contests including first place in the International Speech Contest.

For relaxation, Melissa enjoys photography, painting, and piano.