Press Release: Announcing Our New Development Director!

The American Civil Liberties Union of Delaware is excited to announce Melissa Bryson, former Development and Volunteer Manager Planned Parenthood of Delaware (PPDE), has joined the affiliate as our new development director.

September 23, 2020

Melissa Bryson, Development Director

PRESS RELEASE
Wednesday, September 23, 2020

CONTACT:
Morgan Keller, Communications Manager, ACLU-DE
Phone: 302-654-5326 ext 109, [email protected]

ACLU-DE Names Melissa Bryson as New Development Director

WILMINGTON—The American Civil Liberties Union of Delaware is excited to announce Melissa Bryson, former Development and Volunteer Manager Planned Parenthood of Delaware (PPDE), has joined the affiliate as our new development director.

Bryson’s work at PPDE focused on donor management, fundraising campaigns and event planning, education equity in reproductive healthcare, and managing the organization’s volunteers. During her time at PPDE, Bryson was a contributing member in the She Decides Campaign, which successfully codified Roe v. Wade into Delaware law in 2017.

“I am coming to the ACLU with a strong background in reproductive freedom, which is directly connected to voting rights, immigrant rights, LGBTQIA+ rights, decarceration — all inherently tied to the systemic inequities that exist,” said Bryson. “The ACLU is dedicated to addressing these inequities and I could not be more proud to join in that work as development director of the ACLU of Delaware.”

Bryson comes to ACLU-DE with a graduate degree from Widener University and Masters degrees in Social Work and Human Sexuality Education. To learn more about Bryson, read her full bio at https://www.aclu-de.org/en/biographies/melissa-bryson, or reach out to her via email at [email protected].

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Melissa Connelly

Development Director
She, Her
email Melissa From fighting for reproductive healthcare to ensuring youth in all communities receive the education they deserve, Melissa is passionate about creating social change through legislative action, community action, and education. She believes the structures that govern America demand our constant attention in order to ensure they are serving the needs of all people, and she joined the ACLU-DE team to prioritize that work in our Delaware community.  Immediately after completing her graduate studies at Widener University in 2015, Melissa put her Master of Social Work and Master of Human Sexuality Education degrees to work at Planned Parenthood of Delaware (PPDE). During her tenure at PPDE, she worked on fundraising campaigns and volunteer programs to support and expand on the mission of reproductive freedom. In 2017, Melissa worked on efforts to codify Roe v. Wade as a contributor to the She Decides Delaware coalition including PPDE, ACLU of Delaware, and other community organizations. Melissa Connelly joined the ACLU of Delaware as Development Director in September 2020. Throughout her life and career, she has been passionate about the work of bringing equity, access, and positivity to communities. That passion drives her work and inspires campaigns that connect with supporters and engage their desire for purpose. She is a mission-focused professional who strives for actionable impact through fundraising efforts, and is proud to be able to make that impact at ACLU-DE.