Melanie Buford (she/her) is an Author, Career Consultant, and Teaching Specialist for the Leadership Minor at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. She is lead editor of the 2021 release Mapping the Future of Undergraduate Career Education - an international effort toevolve career preparation in higher education. Her work has been featured on EdSurge,Puttylike, Truity, and Happen to Your Career.
Melanie received the Ralph W. Tyler Award for outstanding research and the Kenneth B. Hoyt Career Education Practitioner Award for innovative practice. She earned her Ed.M. in Human Development from Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is a PhD Candidate conducting research on equity in career education practice. Melanie also writes fiction and is developing a novel in the fantasy genre.
WRITING
Covering innovation in the practice of career education
"[Melanie] is the embodiment of professional excellence in career coaching and wise career planning advice. She has a strong understanding of industries, as well as different jobs within industries. She is also incredibly insightful about peoples' gifts and talents – and therefore able to help people figure out what would be good and joyful matches for who they are and what their strengths are..."
- CAREER COACHING CLIENT
TEACHING
(Re)Imagining career and leadership education for university students