Melissa Spring is a native of Tampa, Florida who grew up in a newspaper family and comes to the Board of Directors with a background in community involvement and philanthropy, as well as a successful career in Real Estate in the Tampa Bay are for over 30 years. She is an avid FSU fan having studied Liberal Arts at Florida State following a tradition for the women in her family beginning with her grandmother in 1904.

Her involvement with the ALS community began when her brother and only sibling, Dudley Clendinen, was diagnosed with ALS at Johns Hopkins in 2010.  Dudley was a well-known journalist, author and New York Times Editor. He held a NPR radio show and podcast in Boston called “Living with Lou,” sharing about his fight with ALS and was feverishly working to complete his book about his journey with the disease when he passed away in May 2012.

Melissa collaborated with a filmmaker friend of her brother’s on a movie about Dudley’s day-to-day living with ALS that went on to win several film festival awards several years later. That experience, as well as helping to care for her brother and attending ALS workshops with other families at the Johns Hopkins ALS Center with him spurred her interest and has since dedicated her efforts to help eradicate the disease and support ALS research by joining the Florida Chapter in 2016. She has been co-chair of the Next Chapter Group at the Chapter also volunteers with the Greater Tampa Bay Walk to Defeat ALS®. 

Melissa lives in Tampa with her husband, has a son, is active in the Tampa Museum of Art, Economic Club, Hyde Park Neighborhood Association, and has been chair of many organizations including American Cancer Cattle Baron’s Ball, Mayor’s Beautification, Tampa Ballet Board, Children’s Home, Tampa Preparatory School, and many more.

Melissa joined the Board of Directors at the Florida Chapter in March 2019.