Melanie Faison

Chief Operating Officer

Melanie A. Faison is the Chief Operating Officer at Quest Communities in the Westside of Atlanta, Georgia. Melanie is a business strategist and impact leader with 15+ years of experience, championing organizational growth and expansion for non-profit organizations. She has excelled in market positioning, revenue growth, financial management, and driving operational excellence in the non-profit sector. 

Over the past 18 years, she has leveraged public and private investments to generate over $271 million in community lending and facilitated over $167 million in multistate community lending administration in partnership with national funders. 

Melanie was the Director of a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) during her 18-year tenure at NeighborWorks Columbus. As the Deputy Director at NWC, she successfully leveraged resources to create successful impacts through affordable housing development, neighborhood revitalization, and affordable residential lending. She has served on the Board of Directors of the Columbus Mortgage Bankers Association, Greater Columbus Urban League and the Tri-City Young Professionals. She currently sits on the Board of Georgia Acts, an organization that focuses on policy work for housing in the state of Georgia. 

Melanie is also the Board Chair of Industrious Women’s Network, Inc, a non-profit that focuses on career development and mentorship for college age women. 

Melanie Alim Faison is a native of both Washington DC and Tuskegee, AL. She holds a BA in Psychology from Spelman College and she is a recent graduate of the Achieving Excellence, Executive Education program at Harvard University. Melanie is a doting mother of two beautiful children, Yasmeen and Nicholas. Yasmeen has married James Chevalier and blessed Melanie with a beautiful granddaughter, Sophia.