About Melissa
Hi, my name is Melissa Thrush and I am the Okaloosa County School Board Member for District 5. I attended Okaloosa County Public Schools from first grade through twelfth grade (Elliott Point Elementary, Meigs Junior High, and Choctawhatchee High). Upon graduation in 1986, I received a four year AFROTC scholarship and attended North Carolina State University (NCSU). I have a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering and a Masters of Integrated Manufacturing Systems Engineering from NCSU. I met my husband, Dr. Chris Reid, in college and have been married 20 years and have four children.
I returned to the area with my family in 2003 and live in Niceville. Three of our children are enrolled in Okaloosa County Public Schools. I have been a stay-at-home parent for the past ten years. Prior to moving to the area, I was the Senior Computer Systems Engineer for the Electrical Engineering Department at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. I also held positions or internships with Consolidated Diesel (a joint venture of Cummins Engine Company and CNH), Procter and Gamble, Merck, Baxter Healthcare, Northern Telecom (Nortel Networks), and Allied Signal (Honeywell).
These are tough times for public schools. We face shrinking budgets and difficult decisions will have to be made that will directly affect the quality of education for our children. Our community deserves leadership who will listen to the concerns of parents, district teachers, staff and taxpayers and make decisions based upon careful study and evaluation of the impact of these decisions. My experience as a parent and analytical skill set will provide me with a practical approach to decision making. Public education is a foundation of our American Democracy. I believe passionately in the mission of our public schools to provide an excellent education to all of our children! I am excited about the opportunity to make a difference as your representative to the Okaloosa County School Board District 5.
