Melissa Noel is an award-winning journalist, television host and media innovator. As Founder and CEO of Mel&N Media and News & Politics Editor at the renowned ESSENCE Magazine, Melissa serves as the powerful bridge between underrepresented communities and an engaged, global audience. Recognized as the 2024 Diaspora Journalist of the Year  by the Caribbean Tourism Organization, Melissa stands as a trusted voice in media, celebrated for her dynamic reporting on culture, travel and social justice.

Melissa’s storytelling combines investigative journalism with immersive cultural reporting. Through partnerships with leading news organizations and global brands, she forges authentic connections with interested audiences worldwide. An accomplished international correspondent with more than a decade of experience reporting across the Caribbean region, Melissa is a Pulitzer Center grantee and an alumna of the Ethel Payne International Reporting Fellowship for Foreign Correspondence on Africa. Melissa served as the Co-Chair of the Global Journalism Task Force of the National Association of Black Journalists, where she champions diversity and excellence in international reporting.

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A Summa Cum Laude graduate of Howard University, Melissa earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in broadcast journalism. She holds a Master of Arts degree in journalism from the City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate School of Journalism. A proud first-generation Guyanese-American, Melissa has made a significant impact at the intersection of media, entrepreneurship and social impact and is poised to pave the way for future generations to amplify underrepresented voices on a global scale, too.