Meet the Team

As an alumna of Thayer, Melissa rejoined Thayer in the summer of 2014. Following Thayer she attended the University of Vermont where she earned a BA in Psychology. She came to Thayer with more than 15 years of experience in non-profit development. Her previous roles include Director of Development for Partners Continuing Care and the Spaulding Rehabilitation Network, Director of Major Gifts for Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Director of Major Gifts for Horizons for Homeless Children and Director of Major Gifts for Walker. In that time Melissa worked on capital campaigns that resulted in the building of the state-of-the-art new Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Charlestown, a new headquarters for Horizons for Homeless Children in Roxbury and a campus expansion at Walker. Prior to working in development, Melissa worked as a counselor for homeless and runaway teens at Bridge Over Troubled Waters and also sold residential real estate in Boston. Melissa currently serves on the Board of Trustees for AccesSportAmerica, an adaptive sports program for people living with challenges and disabilities. The youngest of four sisters who all graduated from Thayer – Whitney Presutti ’85, Kelley Tuthill ’88 and Tracey Buckeridge ’90 – Melissa often says she grew up here. She spent many of the afternoons of her youth on the fields or in the gymnasiums watching her sisters compete in sports until she was able to enter as a sixth grader. Happy to be back, Melissa currently resides in Hingham with her husband and three children. 

Irvin joined Thayer in 2021 after working in Healthcare at Brigham and Women's Hospital. He is a dedicated professional with a proven track record in organizational development. In his role as the Young Alumni Leadership Gift Officer, he works with Thayer's youngest alumni keeping them close to their alma mater and helping them to build support for the mission of Thayer Academy.

Irvin lives in Braintree with his wife Amanda and daughter Gianna.

Renee joined the Advancement team at Thayer in the fall of 2021, bringing with her 15 years of experience in the non-profit fundraising events field. Most recently, Renee spent seven years at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as a Regional Development Director managing events all around New England. Prior to that, Renee served at two local performing arts institutions as the Director of Special Events at Boston Lyric Opera and Special Events Manager at Boston Ballet. Renee graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English from Hobart & William Smith Colleges. Renee resides in Marshfield with her husband and two young sons. 

Jimmeeka joined Thayer in 2023 as a Database Consultant working with the IT and Advancement departments. In 2024, she joined the Advancement & Engagement team as the Donor Systems Manager, bringing with her 22 years of experience in donor database management and fundraising administration. Jimmeeka founded Akeemij Group in 2021 working as a consultant with a variety of nonprofit organizations helping with database cleanup and management, procedure development/documentation, and staff training. Prior to consulting, Jimmeeka served as the Development Database Administrator for six years at Metro Housing Boston. She holds a Bachelors of Science in Human Services from Cambridge College and is a member of Emerge Massachusetts, Candidate Training Class of 2024. Jimmeeka lives in Randolph with her daughter Charli and yorkie, Sir Grahms.

Marchelle brings 15 years of experience in nonprofit work, including four years at Northeastern University in Admissions. Most recently, Marchelle served as the Director of Operations and Partnerships at Union Capital Boston, an organization working to increase community networks and build social capital, creating greater opportunities for individuals and communities.  

She holds a Bachelors of Science in Leadership from Northeastern University and is pursuing a Master of Science in Nonprofit Management, also from Northeastern University.  

She resides in Randolph with her husband, Chris, and their daughter Genevieve '29.

Elizabeth joined the Advancement & Engagement team at Thayer in 2023, bringing with her 10 years of experience in IT Operations and Digital Platform Management. Most recently, Elizabeth worked as a Digital Platform Manager for the non-profit NDES and was responsible for optimizing all digital platforms to drive awareness and support for the NDES foundation's mission of creating self-sustaining communities in Cameroon. Elizabeth is also a remote United Nations Volunteer with multiple organizations focused on creating educational and micro-entrepreneurship opportunities for women. Prior to that, Elizabeth spent six years at athenahealth as an Operations Manager for their global Integration Services team. Elizabeth graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Salve Regina University. Elizabeth resides in Whitman with her husband and two young children.

Ray joined the Advancement & Engagement team as the Alumni Giving and Engagement officer in the fall of 2023 after managing Suffolk Construction's internal non-profit, The Giving Circle. Her psychology background and professional experience will help to strengthen alumni donor relations, Alumni Board management, fundraising, and execution of events. In her role, she is focused on re-engaging with graduates to build upon their connection with the Thayer community. Ray resides in Hanson with her husband, Scott, and their son, Mac.

Rachael joined Thayer's Development Office in 1998. Since then, she has held almost every position, including Development Associate, Director of Annual Giving, and is currently the Associate Director of Development. In this role, Rachael contributed to the successful completion of both the Building on the Mission Campaign and the Campaign for Thayer Academy, the most comprehensive fundraising campaign in Thayer's history. This most recent transformational campaign included significant growth of our Annual Fund, a strengthening of the endowment, the addition of the Thayer Sports Center Campus, and the new Thayer Academy Middle School.

Before returning to her alma mater, Rachael was the Director of Training and a Regional Operations Manager for a multi–store retail organization. After she and her husband, Michael '79, graduated from Thayer, Rachael attended Bates College and graduated with a B.S. in Geology. Rachael is currently a North Falmouth resident and is very proud of her three children Kristen '07, Michael '11, and Angela '12. Rachael is passionate about all things Thayer and loves supporting strategic efforts to grow academic, athletic, and arts programs.