Alumna and Volunteer 40 Under 40 Class of 2024 inductee Heather Melton (‘06) works as the executive director of the Kidney Foundation of the Greater Chattanooga Area helping hundreds of individuals. Pictured from left to right are foundation staff members Genna Parker, Kirbee Hutchins, Melton, and Susannah Shaver.
For more than a decade, alumna Heather Melton (‘06) has helped hundreds of individuals who rely on the life-saving services offered through the Kidney Foundation of the Greater Chattanooga Area.
Her dedication and passion to help others has earned her a spot on the Volunteer 40 Under 40 Class of 2024, which recognizes alumni under the age of forty who have excelled personally and professionally since completing their degree.
“It’s truly an honor to be recognized as a Volunteer 40 Under 40,” Melton said. “With each passing year since my graduation in 2006, I know so many brilliant leaders, minds, and Volunteers who have also crossed into alumni status, and I feel lucky to be a standout among our prestigious alumni base.”
A first-generation college student, Melton applied to attend the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, at the last-minute suggestion of a friend. It turned out Rocky Top was where the Georgia native was fated to be as she fell in love with the institution.
During her time at the school, she learned much in her marketing and writing classes, adding those lessons still benefit her today. She is also grateful for campus organizations like the Student Alumni Associates and Delta Zeta sorority that taught her about giving back and the true meaning of being a Volunteer.
As a student, she interned at South Central Radio Group and learned about promotions. She would eventually use connections made at the radio group to land her first job post graduation at Clear Channel Radio in Chattanooga. She worked in the promotions department there planning concerts, charity events, and collaborated with local businesses to bring unique giveaways and experiences to the Chattanooga area.
Her time with Clear Channel Radio was filled with once-in-a-lifetime moments such as having dinner with actor Kevin Costner, making award-winning country music singer George Strait blush backstage at a concert, and accepting an Academy of Country Music Award for Radio Station of the Year on stage in Las Vegas.
However, she enjoyed helping local nonprofits raise support through fundraising efforts such as telethons, auctions, and benefit concerts the most.
“I found a special place in my heart during this time for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Chattanooga Kidney Foundation,” Melton said. “When a position became available with the Chattanooga Kidney Foundation, I knew this is where I was meant to go next after spending time with their volunteers while working at Clear Channel.”
Embodying the Volunteer Spirit
Melton started as assistant director at the foundation before being promoted to the executive director position, which she has held for the last ten years.
She works alongside team members at the foundation to raise money and advocate for kidney health education and patient support. This includes organizing fundraising events such as Dare to Dance—a take on the Dancing with the Stars television show. With help from volunteers and staff members, over the past 16 years the event has grown in leaps and bounds from just breaking even to raising more than $350,000 annually to provide basic services to local dialysis and transplant patients.
Quoting the Volunteer Creed, Melton said knowing her team is “giving light to others” keeps her motivated. Melton was 18 years old when she heard the Volunteer Creed for the first time and ever since it has only resonated more with her as she aged—both professionally and personally.
“Now, giving light to others is what I do every single day and will continue to do every single day in some capacity for the rest of my life,” Melton said. “The creed changed my life and affirmed who I am and want to be.”
When she is not supporting the foundation, she can be found helping other causes. This includes being an avid supporter of St. Jude’s Children Hospital, the education system and teachers, and volunteering for the Special Olympics.
She has also found ways to give back to her alma mater through Delta Zeta. Melton said the sorority taught her so much—from leadership skills to bookkeeping—she was honored to serve as part of the team to bring the Delta Zeta Pi Lambda Chapter to the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga.
For more than 14 years Melton has supported several college women through the chapter by being a mentor and a friend. She said many Delta Zetas also volunteer their time at the foundation and a couple serve in leadership roles on the foundation’s board of directors. She has also hired Delta Zetas as interns and staff members.
Melton said she hopes she is inspiring the next generation of leaders, adding she also believes it is important as alumni to give back and support the university and future Vols no matter the size of the gift or resources one can provide.
“Even though I never ended up giving a sports report or the weather on your local news station, you can find me advocating for local kidney patients on the radio, news, or other platforms any chance I get,” Melton said. “Speaking for those who are facing a chronic disease is the culmination of finding my true purpose in life.”