The Kiefer Foundation Executive Director
Introducing Melissa Hamrick
Melissa Hamrick is the Executive Director of The Kiefer Foundation, a national nonprofit committed to ending distracted driving and saving lives through education, advocacy, and technology. With over a decade of leadership in the traffic safety space, Melissa brings a deep-rooted passion for youth safety and crash prevention to her role.
Before joining The Kiefer Foundation, Melissa served as the Leader for the Florida Teen Safe Driving Coalition, where she managed a statewide, multimillion-dollar grant program under the Florida Department of Transportation. She led the development and implementation of evidence-based initiatives, forged impactful public-private partnerships, and created youth-led campaigns to reduce teen driver crashes and fatalities.
Her efforts have supported the distribution of more than 800,000 educational materials across Florida, the delivery of over 280 professional safety presentations in high schools, and measurable engagement with over 185,000 teens. She has also played a pivotal role in legislative advocacy, curriculum development, and law enforcement outreach to improve road safety outcomes for young drivers.
For Melissa, this work is deeply personal. After losing a loved one to a distracted driving crash, she committed her life to the mission of preventing another family from experiencing the same tragedy. She believes that even one life lost on our roads is one too many—and that we each have a role to play in creating a safer future.
Melissa is a respected national speaker and serves as a steering committee member on three ongoing research projects through the Behavioral Traffic Safety Cooperative Research Program. She is also a contributing member of the National Distracted Driving Coalition and helps plan the Distracted Driving Track at the Lifesavers National Conference—the largest traffic safety conference in the United States. Her dedication has earned her numerous accolades, including being named one of Tallahassee’s “Top 25 Women You Should Know” and receiving Broward County’s Mentor of the Year Award.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Florida State University. Outside of work, Melissa cherishes time with her husband Murray, their daughter Caroline, and their beloved Golden Retriever, Jake. Together, they enjoy fishing, camping, and making memories in the great outdoors.