Melissa Connelly MAT ’08, MAEA ’13 named CEO of OneGoal

April 25, 2019



Melissa Connelly MAT ’08, MAEA ’13 has been promoted to CEO at Chicago-based OneGoal, a nationwide coalition of teachers, students, school leaders and education advocates working to close the college degree divide. Melissa will take over May 24 for Dominican alumnus Jeff Nelson MAT ’07, a co-founder of the organization and its only CEO to date.



Melissa joined OneGoal five years ago and for the past 2½ has been chief program officer. OneGoal aims to provide more access to college for students from low-income communities.



OneGoal started in Chicago in 2007. During the 2018-2019 school year, “OneGoal will reach more than 13,000 students in over 200 high schools across six states,” according to a message from Nelson. The organization operates in the Bay Area, Chicago, Houston, Massachusetts, metro Atlanta and New York.



Read more: Chicago-based college access organization names new CEO



Read more: New CEO of college access, success group OneGoal has walked in shoes of her students