Meet Melissa Burden

The path to journalism was a little different for Melissa.

Melissa was a communications major at the University of Toledo. After graduation, she worked in advertising for Lauerer, Markin, and Gibbs in Maumee. At the time, LMG was a top 500 advertising agency.

With the help of Mark Luetke, Bob Brooks, and Mary Dalby, Melissa became Director of International Park and the Willis B. Boyer museum ship, which was located in International Park. After several months, it was clear, PR was not the career path she would continue on. Melissa would go to the “dark side,” which is a term PR people also use for journalists.

Melissa was hired by Scott Carpenter to work as a sports reporter/editor for the Press Newspapers. Within a few months, Melissa created a three-part news series, “Teen Pregnancy.”

In that series, Melissa highlighted East Toledo, in 1994, had the highest teen pregnancy rate in the state. After becoming a news editor, Melissa worked on investigative pieces that included benzene contamination on Front Street, the Jerusalem Township Fire Dept. canceling EMS out of Toledo prior to being on the scene of a medical emergency, to a man dying waiting for EMS in Northwood after the city stopped having a full-time EMS crew in 2009. The Northwood story earned her a top state journalism award.

Melissa has worked at several area newspapers, including the Port Clinton News-Herald, the Bowling Green Sentinel-Tribune, the Bedford Press, the West Toledo and Sylvania Herald, and the Village Voice of Ottawa Hills. Her hobbies include swimming and practicing her amateur chef skills with family, friends, and co-workers.

At The Blade, Melissa will be a reporter covering education on the City Desk

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Melissa’s email address is mburden@theblade.com, and her desk extension is 6506.