Melissa Pepper

Melissa Pepper is a versatile multi-industry leader who excels when building, changing, and growing teams and programs. She’s known for her creative communication, contagious energy, and decisive action. She started her career as a civil servant, working to create grassroots change in how we talk about post-secondary education for first-generation college students. From there, she has worked as in account management at a large regional blood center, marketing at a law firm, and now a professional employer organization, where she serves as President and Chief Strategy Officer. Melissa’s leadership has accelerated Total Solutions' growth; in her three-year tenure, the company has experienced year-over-year revenue growth, high employee engagement, and exceptional net promoter score ratings. The Total Solutions team was recognized in 2020 as a Better Business Bureau Torch Award recipient.

Melissa is the founder of Lead(h)er, a nonprofit organization that has matched over 450 women with mentors. Passionately committed to the Quad Cities region, Melissa also serves on numerous boards and committees, including Genesis Health System (Board Member), Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce Membership Committee (Chair), and IH Mississippi Valley Credit Union (Board Member). Consciously putting her English and Communications degree to work, she is a Forbes Business Council member and frequently speaks and writes on leadership topics, having been a guest on the Schooled in Business, Leading the Factory Forward, Team Engagement, and Built in Iowa podcasts.

Melissa is a proud recipient of the Nation of Neighbors Award and was named the Young Community Leader of the Year by the Jaycees of the Quad Cities. She graduated summa cum laude from Augustana College and earned her MBA from The University of Iowa. She and her husband Dan have two young sons, Grayson and Brooks. She enjoys strong coffee, medium-length runs, and funny podcasts.