Dr. Melody Schopp, a nationally recognized thought leader, dutifully chaired several national professional organizations, compellingly addressed audiences from Washington, D.C. to Malawi, Africa, and served as South Dakota’s top education official. But she didn’t wait for those fancy titles before showcasing her “just get it done” tenacity.

In 2000, as an innovative school teacher with 24 years of classroom experience in the tiny, remote town of Lemmon, South Dakota (the nearest McDonald’s is 125miles away), Melody usurped a janitor’s closet, wired an unused phone line to a modem-equipped computer lab and used her own AOL account to bring the nascent internet to elementary students. The statewide wiring of South Dakota schools exposed the innovation occurring in Lemmon, prompting a CNN feature that showcased Melody’s lab and opened an opportunity for Melody to re-envision her
career.

Melody’s journey led to the state’s capital, where she took on the positions of technology integrationist, director of accreditation and teacher quality and deputy education secretary while earning her doctorate from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, penning her dissertation on women’s leadership. She rose to education secretary in 2011, yet humbly told her neighbors when gathering her mail or cutting her grass that she was “just a secretary.” As head of the South Dakota Department of Education, Melody used her growing influence to spur the passage of legislation to boost teacher retention, created a new accountability system and built a statewide coalition of education groups, businesses, retailers and communities to successfully lobby to boost teacher salaries.

Now, as a women’s influence truth-teller and podcast co-host, Melody shares her vast experience and insight through Influential SHE LLC, partnering with her colleague, State Senator Deb Soholt to raise a fresh voice in an old conversation about women’s influence. Melody and Deb believe that women should uncompromisingly embark on joyful professional journeys that align with their personal values rather than constantly working harder to chase success.

Melody served as a charter member of the School Superintendents Association’s National Women’s Leadership Consortium, a mentoring program funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation designed to bring together successful women thought leaders in the education, business and nonprofit communities. Melody and her colleagues helped identify and address the barriers faced by women, leading her to personally mentor two women aspiring to top leadership positions in K-12
education across the country.