A Life of Resilience & Restoration
Dr. Melendy is a faith-centered youth advocate, mentor, caregiver, and community leader whose life reflects resilience, restoration, and unwavering trust in God. Her personal experiences with marriage, motherhood, caregiving, grief, leadership, and renewal have deeply shaped who she is.
Called to Mentor & Serve
She currently serves as the Los Angeles Program Manager for the National CARES Mentoring Movement, overseeing program delivery across a portfolio of school sites — leading staffing, facilitator training, and in-field coaching to ensure every young person receives a consistently high-quality experience. As the primary point of contact for school staff and principals, she builds the trust and alignment that keep programs running smoothly, and leads with a presence that earns confidence quickly while holding her teams to clear, caring standards. Her career has spanned technology, workforce development, housing, and community partnerships.
Building Pathways to Independence
She is the co-founder of Destiny Computer Learning Center, founded on the principle of equipping the most marginalized members of the community with marketable job skills. Today, through her partnership with Time for Change Foundation, she provides hands-on digital literacy training to women receiving residential housing and supportive services — helping them build confidence and recognize new possibilities for their lives.
Anchored in Family & Faith
Dr. Melendy was married to Michael J. Baham for 22 years before his passing in 2011. She is the proud mother of four adult daughters and grandmother of five. Family, faith, service, and love remain at the center of her life and her testimony — that even life's greatest pressures can produce strength, structure, and transformation.