RGD   |   SHE/HER/ELLE

Partner & Creative Leader

Mélissa is queer-francophone Creative Director who is passionate about 2SLGBTQIA+, gender equity, and inclusiveness. She specializes in management of creative staff, conceptual idealization, translating goals into effective campaign strategies, and shaping brand standards. Her ability to make inspiring, informative visuals have given her expertise in storytelling complex ideas. As a previous educator and sports coach, Mélissa leads the creative team with motivation and self determination.

Recent Undertakings:

  • 2023 GoSolo interview
  • 2022 Judge for The 3% Movement and The One Club for Creativity’s Next Creative Leaders.
  • 2021 President’s award at the Gala des PMEs with the Société économique de l’Ontario for her efforts in leadership as a francophone business owner in a creative industry.
  • 2021 Judge for the ADC awards, the world’s oldest international award show (in its 101 year) judging works from around the globe, celebrating diversity in advertising, design, illustration and more.
  • 2021 Speaker at the Toronto Global Forum about women in business on an international stage.

Mélissa has also volunteered for:

  • Registered Graphic Designers (RGD) mentor and member of the Review Committee
  • Mentor for the ‘programme mentoratSÉO de la Société Économique de l’Ontario’
  • Past mentor for the Regional Business Center for the startup program
A portrait of Melissa Dechenes. Melissa has chest length, light brown hair and is wearing a black shirt with a woman's face pattern on it. She is wearing rounded glasses and a burgundy hat which she is holding on her head with her right hand, smiling widely.

Connect with me:

Speaking

Mélissa gives talks in both English and French on the topics of women in business, bringing your business online, and designing with diversity and inclusion in mind.

INVITE US TO SPEAK

Speaking

Jennifer speaks across Canada and the US at conferences, online webinars, and in-person workshops. She enjoys talking about inclusion and diversity, decolonizing design, and planning projects for cultural inclusion.

INVITE US TO SPEAK
Une photographie de Melissa Dechenes. Melissa est sur le côté gauche de l'image. Elle porte une veste en jean avec une chemise blanche en dessous. Elle a des écouteurs noirs sur ses cheveux brun moyen et sourit à la caméra. À sa droite se trouve un microphone de studio en argent. En haut de l'image, vous pouvez voir un panneau indiquant "on air", et en arrière-plan, Melissa semble être dans une pièce assez grise.