Mel Arsenault has over 25 years of experience in workforce development, human resources, and talent development pipelines.
While at ICF, she provided strategic consulting, technical assistance, and project leadership across workforce development initiatives with a focus on apprenticeship, youth engagement, IT sector development, and state workforce system redesign. Her work included providing technical assistance for federal apprenticeship grantees in seven communities across the US including the development and expansion of IT/cyber, teacher, life sciences, hospitality and trades apprenticeships. Mel served as the project lead for the expansion of apprenticeship across federal service. She also provided coaching to communities developing youth workforce ecosystems.
Prior to ICF, she was instrumental in the post Katrina restoration of the Port of Gulfport, MS leading the external affairs, workforce development, community engagement and compliance programs. She created multiple innovative partnerships across the state; assisted in exceeding the job creation and grant requirements; and significantly improved pathway programs for residents to gain stackable credentials and employment.
She has served in a variety of workforce roles throughout her career, including as an Executive Director of a local workforce board, as Legislative Liaison and Director of the Bureau of Employment Services at the Maine Department of Labor, and served in a variety of human resource roles at L. L. Bean, Inc.
Mel’s work has been recognized by multiple organizations including the L. L. Bean, Inc., American Association of Port Authorities, The Gulfport, MS NAACP, the Southern Public Relations Federation, the Job Corps, and the Gulfport, MS school district.