Melissa Fortune
CEO/Catalyst Cohesion Marketing & PR

Melissa Fortune is CEO of Cohesion Marketing & PR, responsible for identifying, architecting, and promoting Cohesion’s solutions for marketing segments including Advertising, Public Relations, Consulting, Web Design and New Media. Cohesion also offers technology products including hardware and software designed to make above processes easier. A core Cohesion concept: Be First or Follow.

An early adopter in the field of new media/social networking, Melissa is also the Founder of International Social Media Month and the Creator of socialHUE, 1st Annual Global Green Women and Minorities Social Media Conference.

As the companies’ owner, Melissa is focused on all things business and operations. Melissa is a technology evangelist, brand strategist and a revenue accelerator who delights in learning 'What's New, Whats Now, What’s Next ™'… and sharing it. A Gen Y Philomath whose love of technology and of acquiring knowledge gives Mel the unique benefit of being a traditional futurist; one who has a healthy appreciation of the past and respect and insight for the sonic speed time in which we live; one who intuitively understands how to increase the rate of buyer reaction.

A student of Business through Shaw University, as well as Marketing major at Central Piedmont Community College, Mel believes that education does not stop with a degree. Mel has built her career on the pursuit of education foremost for the sake of gaining knowledge and dissemination. Mel received summa cum laude honors from Shaw University and Phi Theta Kappa honors from Central Piedmont Community College. She was graduated from the Charlotte Chamber Leadership School. Along with her other accomplishments, Mel is also a Notary Public and a Electronic Notary.

For Melissa, providing her best can only be obtained by maintaining authenticity, as such, in some circles Mel is fittingly know as M3 which stands for Music, Money, Marketing. She has successfully merged her life’s passions into a career that enables her to be her authentic self. Raised to believe the adage ‘to whom much is given much is expected’, Melissa and thus Cohesion are committed to giving back to the community. Mel frequently volunteers her time and expertise with at risk youth as well as adults in need of her brand of assistance.

Mel is marketing chair of Ketchmore Kids Inc. a non profit dedicated to using music to direct positive growth in children and teens, a board member with the UK based Female Beatmakers, a platform used to help facilitate learning and development to women who are intrigued with the idea of doing male dominated roles within the music industry and was the marketing chair and a founding member of MC Lyte’s Hip Hop Sisters, a non profit created to promote personal growth through the women of Hip Hop.