Candidate: MELISA W GIOVANNELLI

Biography

Melisa is a born and raised Lee County native that has spent the last 22 years successfully building a business in the local Real Estate Market while raising two children with her husband, Craig (married 25 years), a law enforcement officer.  She is a 30-year, active member of the Vineyard Christian Fellowship of Fort Myers and supports the Young Life and Wyld Life Christian youth programs.  She gives freely of her time to various nonprofit organizations including Uncommon Friends Foundation, Blankets & Blessings and the Edison Festival of Lights, just to name a few.  Melisa is dedicated to her community and the future of our neighborhoods. She is also a Gulfshore Life 5 Star consecutive Winner for the over 10 years. She was recently nominated for Women of Distinction for 2020.

Melisa has first-hand knowledge of our local education system, as a product of it, as a parent and currently a grandparent in the folds, and as a business person whose income in generated based on the local economy.  She knows the school system is an economic driver for Lee County and strives to make sure Lee County is World Class Education system. She knows that communities that invest in their schools provide better opportunity for success and strives to bring back neighborhood schools that provide a higher standard of education consistently. Students have the right to equal education opportunities, regardless of where they live, and should not have to travel to get it. All schools should have the same educational opportunities.

Melisa strives for transparency throughout the District. She knows the value in transparency and was able to pass a motion which allows for all Advisory Meetings to be televised. She believes in accountability, and being fiscally responsibility. She is not part of the establishment and will continue to ask the hard questions and to be the voice for the people.

Melisa believes that teachers and students are our number one priority. She values the assets of our teachers and plans to continue focusing on teacher retention and veteran teacher pay.  Not to mention spending for resources that support the teachers and students above all else.

She was not a proponent of common core, and lobbied against it in Tallahassee which resulted in the elimination of Common Core. Bringing education home with local control is another priority. She feels that with community involvement we can be better together.

Resume

Present Occupation:

• • Licensed Real Estate Sales Person - 22 Years of Service

• • Lee County School District, School Board Member, District 2

  Personal:

• • Native Resident of Lee County

• • Riverdale High School Graduate

• • Married - 25 years to Craig Giovannelli, Law Enforcement

• • Two daughters – Graduates of Lee County Schools

  Education:

• • Florida Real Estate License, Ed Klopfer School of Real Estate

• • Paralegal Certification, Barry University

           Professional Memberships:

• • Royal Palm Realtors Association – 22 Years

• • National Association of Realtors (NAR) – 22 years

• • Women's Council of REALTORS®

• • 2020, 2019, 2018 - Public Policy Committee

• • 2020 RPAC - Major Investors

• • 2020 Events Committee

• • 2019 Leadership Academy Graduate

• • 2019 Professional Development Committee

• • 2019 Investment & Reserves

• • 2019 Education Ambassador

• • 2019 FR and NAR Directors

  Memberships and Affiliations:

• • Member of Vineyard Christian Fellowship – 30 Years of Service 

• • Fort Myers Republican Women’s Club

• • Lee County Republican Executive Committee

• • Lee Republican Women Federated

• • National Association for Women “Now”

• • League of Women’s Voters

• • African American Network

• • Businesspeople United for Political Action Committee “BUPAC”

• • Edison Pageant of Light

  Community Board Committees and or Affiliations:

• • Edison Festival of Lights Board Member and Executive Board

• • Blankets & Blessings Board Member

• • Uncommon Friends Foundation Board Member

  Lee County School Board Liaison / Past & Present Positions:

• • Finance Advisory Committee

• • Learning for Life, Inc.

• • School Board Student Advisory Committee

• • Construction Advisory Committee

• • Equity and Diversity Advisory Committee (EDAC)

• • Insurance Task Force

• • Value Adjustment Board (VAB)

• • FSBA Board of Director

• • Head Start/Early Head Start Policy Council

   Professional Experience:

• • Barclays Real Estate Group

• • Riverside Realty Group, LLC., Real Estate Sales

• • Heppel Realty, Inc., Real Estate Sales

• • Titanium Solutions, Home Retention Consultant

• • Richardson Homes, Real Estate Sales

• • Realty Executives of Fort Myers, Real Estate Sales

• • Niemann Homes/Nieman Wolter Development, Real Estate Sales

• • Circlepix, Virtual Real Estate Photographer

• • Gartner Group, Sales Support & Billing Representative

• • Uttley Psychiatric Consulting, P.A., Office Manager

• • Goldberg, Goldstein and Buckley, P.A., Legal Assistant

• • United States District Court - Middle District, Fort Myers Division

• • United States Bankruptcy Court Middle District, Tampa Division

• • United States District Court – Middle District, Tampa Division