BIO: MELANIE LEE, TOURISM DIRECTOR
Melanie Lee serves as Tourism Director for the City of Opelousas. Prior to this, she served as the first Public Information Officer for St. Landry Parish Government. During her tenure, she worked closely with 2005 hurricane relief efforts, where she was one of the organizers for the St. Landry Parish Relief Center.
In 2006, Lee helped to develop and co-chair the first ever St. Landry – Evangeline Legislative Appreciation Day in Baton Rouge. That same year, she was also one of twenty people chosen by U.S. Senator David Vitter to represent Louisiana at the first ever Young Leadership Summit in Washington D.C. Lee was also recently chosen to represent St. Landry Parish on the Louisiana Department of Economic Development’s Community Initiative Development committee.
A native of St. Landry Parish, Lee is a Mass Communication and English graduate from UL Lafayette. Her community involvement has included serving on a various committees and boards. Currently, Lee serves on the state board for the Louisiana Foundation for Sexual Assault (LAFASA). Locally, she has served the St. Landry-Evangeline Sexual Assault Center as board member for the past six years, where she helped to initiate in bringing the Take Back the Night educational awareness event to St. Landry Parish. She is also on the New Life Center Shelter’s Advisory Board.
She has actively worked with numerous Chamber affiliated events in the past including the Soiree’ Royale, which she Co-Chaired in 2006, the Annual Membership & Awards Banquet, and the Health Care Expo. Currently, she serves as a board member for the Opelousas-St. Landry Chamber of Commerce.
For the past nine years, Lee has also worked with the Jesus Cares’ program, which provides food, clothing, and toys to families in need. In 2001, she helped to organize the Every Penny Counts Penny Drive, which became a component of Jesus Cares’. Other committees and activities include the St. Landry Parish, Educational Extravaganza and St. Landry Parish Heart Gala. She is also a member of the Opelousas Woman’s Club and President of the Rotary Club of Opelousas.