July 1, 2021
In April, Voters Not Politicians welcomed Melissa Zinn as our new Administrative Assistant. Melissa keeps the VNP team organized, informed and on time. She is the engine that makes our whole operation run smoothly.
Though new to her role, Melissa has been a dedicated volunteer since 2017. She was inspired to get involved early on after attending one of the famous 33 town halls in 33 days.
“They had one in Kalamazoo and I went because I wanted to get involved and make a positive difference somehow, but I didn’t know how. That presentation was great. It made the topic of gerrymandering and ending gerrymandering fun and interesting, which you wouldn’t have thought before VNP that it could be a fun and interesting topic. It was really inspiring and I decided to get on board.”
Melissa picked up her clipboard and headed to the Kalamazoo Farmers Market in the summer of 2017. She ultimately collected over two hundred signatures. Since then, she wore nearly every hat available to a VNP volunteer: canvasser, public speaker, team leader, and regional leader.
Melissa easily slid into her new role as Administrative Assistant and has proven herself as a valuable asset to the organization. Melissa continues to grow in her role, while simultaneously helping the organization grow for the better. She is scheduling and coordinating the Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) training that the team will be participating in later this summer.
“I’m excited about the DEI training that we’re going to be doing this summer. It is so important and there’s always more to learn. We can all always do better.”
When she isn’t keeping our team on task, you will find Melissa in her garden putting her green thumb to good use.
“My talent is organic gardening. I have a garden in the backyard every year and do it all organic. It’s a little more work, but I think it’s more rewarding and the results are better.”
Organic gardening is tough work, especially when it comes to pest management. Melissa has a simple solution to keep those pesky beetles from chowing down on your cucumbers: Neem oil.
