As Senior Administrative Program Coordinator, Melissa Manifold doesn’t just wear many hats, she organizes them by color.
“I started out at the front desk,” Melissa reminisced. “I remember there was a day when I felt like I had more freedom, because I was the only one there, so I just went wild and cleaned the whole office.”
That unleashing her inner Marie Kondo is Melissa’s idea of ‘going wild’ gives a little background on her meteoric career trajectory. It’s her knack for organization and her passion for making life better for everyone she works with (dare we say, sparking joy) that took her from answering the phone to coordinating the entire Visitor’s Program and the Postdoc Fellowships in less than five years.
“The longer I've been in this role, the more I'm doing year-to-year, and the more I can make changes to the programs to improve them,” said Melissa. “I always help with a lot of other tasks, as well. For example, I help Maria with the annual report a lot. That’s my favorite. Our work on the new website started last year and just ended in September. It was very satisfying to finally be done.”
As if Melissa’s hat boxes weren’t already full to bursting, she also volunteers for her church’s youth programs and as the Oden Institute’s Wellness Champion.
“It’s just a title,” she quipped, waving it off. “I think they accept everyone who applies. It’s a group of staff members on campus who are mindful of the health and wellness of the people that they work with. We meet together every two or three months, all the wellness champions across campus. We brainstorm different things that we’re doing in our departments to help the health and wellness of our coworkers.”
“There’s a grant sponsored by the healthpoint program at UT where if you have an idea of something you want to do in your department related to health and wellness, they will give you $1000 to make those changes. I had an idea to do that at the Institute this past year, and actually applied for the grant and everything. We didn’t end up winning it, but Dr. Willcox agreed to the creation of a wellness space even if we didn't win. The idea is to have a dedicated space with a meditation area or quiet corner with tranquil posters, a soothing sound machine, and maybe a massage chair, and also an area where you could come to stretch if you needed a break from sitting at your desk all day. We thought about having a mini trampoline, but that might be too loud for all of us on the fourth floor,” she laughed.
Melissa’s interest in being the Institute’s Wellness Champion sprung from her understanding of the importance of taking a step back from the hustle and bustle of work life in the city.
“My husband and I like going out to Driftwood, a little town south of Austin where my family lives,” said Melissa. “There’s a lot of land out there to swim and relax, and get away from the city for a while. I really enjoy riding my bike out there. I might use a picture of Driftwood for the meditation room,” she speculated.
As much as she liked the family time and respite from traffic that working from home gave her, Melissa missed the Oden Institute’s sense of community during the pandemic.
“It’s nice to be back,” she said, smiling. “I’ve been at the Oden Institute for about five years now, and I’ve always enjoyed the people I work with. It’s been a good atmosphere and it’s been good leadership. I’ve been supported as a staff member. It’s been a good experience for me.”