ALL ABOUT
THE CULTURE
Culturfied was originally founded to help nurture a global mindset among middle school aged students by fostering intercultural learning, and through enhancing appreciation for cultures (e.g., social habits, arts, cuisine, religion, civics, music, language, etc.) other than one’s own. Our organization has a documented and successful history of offering global education services that have changed the lives of students by opening their eyes to a bigger world around them, and by preparing them to become productive and responsible global citizens.
We have since expanded our view with the goal of making an even greater impact on society. We know that innovation is an economic driver – it leads to new jobs, new industries, and typically a better way of life. We also know that innovation is driven by creativity and critical thinking – an ability to empathize with and define challenges to be solved. It is exposure to experiences outside of our normal environment that is a fundamental element of developing an innovative mindset.
Browse our site for more information on our initiatives, resources, and how to get involved.
Mele Melton
CULTURFIED FOUNDER
Mele Melton came to the US as a teenager, quickly finding and pursuing her passion for learning about other cultures. She soon joined multicultural groups and help organize a multicultural showcase in high school. In college, she reluctantly decided to pursue a degree and career in finance over anthropology, on the advice of a counselor who thought finance offered better odds of financial success. After graduation, she embarked on a successful finance career. Soon after, she moved to DC and started attending cultural events, where she was met with the same spark of excitement she felt while pursuing her love of multicultural studies in high school.
In 2009, Mele launched Culturfied.com, a social networking site and community forum where members were asked to share their cultures and learn about others. The project continues to grow and encourage global learning, but Mele wanted to make even more significant impacts in the global education arena. Thus, she formed Culturfied Foundation, Inc. dedicated to increasing cultural awareness and creating new and better opportunities for DC-area students to be exposed to other world cultures in a positive and life-enhancing way.
Mele holds a Bachelor’s of Business Administration in Finance from Temple University’s Fox School of Business and Management and a Master of Business Administration in International Business from the University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business & Economics.
CAMYLLE COLEY
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Camylle Coley is the newly appointed Executive Director of Culturfied, overseeing the administration, programs, and strategic direction of the organization. Prior to her role with Culturfied, Camylle was Associate Director for Science & Technology at Eccalon, LLC where she led proposal capture and program startup for the firm’s technical programs. During her tenure she secured more than $20 million in annual revenue for the firm and laid the groundwork for several of its most successful programs.
Camylle has a demonstrated history of leading and supporting programs dedicated to scientific and cultural understanding. She served as a senior advisor to the Director for the Department of Defense (DoD) Basic Research Office (BRO), where she provided subject matter expertise to DoD executive leadership on acquisition and scientific workforce development, scientific communication and outreach, international collaboration, and basic research commercialization. Camylle led the development of strategic basic science-focused alliances with Brazil and Japan, and she launched the scientific communication platform – Science, Technology, & Innovation exchange (STIx) – that showcases the many positive impacts the Department of Defense’s scientific investments have had on society.
Before joining the Basic Research Office, Camylle supported the Offices of Small Business Programs and Manufacturing and Industrial Base Policy with a focus on Workforce Development and Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics (STEM) Entrepreneurship initiatives. She has an MBA from the University of Maryland, University College, focusing on Global Business Management. Additionally, she was a Huck Institutes for the Life Sciences Fellow in Integrative Biosciences at Pennsylvania State University and has a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a Neuroscience concentration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
