Melissa N. Aldridge is a seasoned finance and strategy leader with over 15 years of experience in financial management, operations, and strategic development across nonprofit, venture finance, and corporate sectors. As the Senior Director of Finance at the Center for Open Science (COS), Melissa leads financial strategy, planning, and operational management to support the organization’s mission of increasing openness, integrity, and reproducibility in research. She also ensures robust financial systems and processes that align with the goals of enabling transparency and innovation in science.

Before joining COS, Melissa served as Chief Financial Officer at Village Capital, overseeing global financial management, compliance, and reporting and supporting mission-driven programs and initiatives. Her work aligned financial stewardship with scalable systems to drive long-term organizational impact and sustainability. During her tenure, she helped shape operational processes, fund administration strategies, and systems that positioned the organization for future growth. Her career highlights include impactful leadership roles in corporate strategy, development, and innovation within the ancillary benefits industry at Unum Group and EyeMed. In addition to her corporate roles, Melissa has provided consulting expertise in fund administration, capital strategy, and investment management to impact-focused venture funds and entrepreneurial support organizations such as The JumpFund, SteelSky Ventures, and Launch Tennessee. She has also designed tools for developing purpose-suited capital strategies that support systemic frameworks for equitable economic growth.

Melissa began her career in investment management and economic development. She contributed to technology commercialization at Cornerstone Research Group and drove regional growth initiatives at the Dayton Development Coalition. These experiences shaped her commitment to using finance to achieve transformative impact and sustainable growth.

Melissa holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Economics and has pursued postgraduate education in Applied Accounting. Her dedication to transparency, innovation, and equity aligns with her mission to transform research for the betterment of science and society.