Melissa M. Proctor
From “ball girl to CMO,” Melissa Proctor shares stories from her trailblazing career journey, providing powerful strategies to help audiences navigate high-stakes decisions and achieve success.
Though Melissa Proctor never played basketball herself, it was her passion—in fact, her childhood dream was to be the first female coach in the NBA. She went on to forge an unconventional path that began with her job as the first “ball girl” for the NBA’s Miami Heat and led to her position as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena.
Overseeing the day-to-day operations of the club’s marketing, live experience and production, brand merchandising, entertainment industry relations, community impact, and much more, Melissa is a brand leader recognized for her creativity, work ethic, and empathy.
She started her career with the Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., serving in senior brand development and strategy leadership positions for Turner Entertainment Networks, Cartoon Network, and Turner Media Group. She helped to create the first Corporate Social Responsibility Division in Turner’s UK office, was responsible for managing the rebranding of Court TV as truTV, and led corporate culture initiatives to foster employee engagement, collaboration, and innovation.
Melissa has been recognized with Adweek’s 2021 CMO Award, Atlanta Magazine’s 2018 list of Women Making a Mark, Sports Business Journal’s 2020 class of Forty Under 40, among many accolades. She is also the author of the bestseller From Ball Girl to CMO.
In her relatable, down-to-earth style, Melissa shares lessons and stories of hope, persistence, empowerment, and courage, providing a powerful framework for defining "Guiding Principles" to help audiences navigate high-stakes decisions, both personal and professional.
Books & Movies
Interested in placing an order for books or videos by this speaker for your event? Please contact us for more information or to process your order.
.jpg)
“.. all were captivated by her incredible story and authentic advice for following your dreams. Melissa is a master communicator, and her presentation will leave audience’s both speechless and wanting more!”
University of Rochester
Tell us a little about your event and our team of experienced sales agents will get back to you with a customized list of speaker recommendations available for in-person and virtual speaking engagements.
NOTE: We cannot process requests for media interviews, podcasts or other non-speech related inquiries of a personal nature.