Melissa Moffett

Melissa Moffett studied English and Asian studies at the University of Puget Sound before serving in the Peace Corps in Nepal where she worked as a master trainer and English resource teacher. Melissa obtained her masters degree in Multicultural Education from the University of Washington Tacoma.

She continued to build her international experience by working as an English teacher in Chengdu, China before taking her vast teaching experience back to the United States. She taught English at Jason Lee Middle School from 2003-2004 and then became a community developer at Tacoma School of Arts (SOTA) where she served as a liaison between Metro Parks Tacoma and SOTA. She managed the Adjunct Artist Program building, managing, and programming for community arts education. In this capacity, Melissa fostered community partnerships with the Washington State History Museum, Tacoma Art Museum, Museum of Glass, and created arts camps through Metro Parks.

Melissa currently teaches Humanities at Industrial Design, Engineering, and Art (IDEA) School which opened in 2016. This role has given Melissa the opportunity empower students through the teaching of global issues and developing projects that provide students the critical thinking to design for the purpose of solving a problem. She is a human rights advocate who focuses on providing her students with a global education, using her personal experiences to spread awareness of international issues, and support students in becoming actively engaged citizens.

Melissa previously taught at SOTA and has been a coordinator for Service and Study Tour Program across Tacoma’s three small high schools (SOTA, SAMI, and IDEA) since 2011. In that time, she has led four month-long trips to Nepal, two to Cambodia and Laos, PDR, and one to Lopez Island, Washington. She is in the process of developing a Uganda Service and Study Tour.

Melissa serves as the Board President at Friends of the Women’s Protection Center Nepal.