Melissa Lafionatis

As the Associate Director of Admission for Pre-K-Grade 1, Melissa guides prospective families through each step of the admission process, facilitating opportunities for them to interact with the Park community, and highlighting the many ways that young children learn and thrive here.

After graduating college, Melissa started her career in education as a first grade assistant teacher at Holy Trinity School in Washington, D.C. She then attended James Madison University for a master’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders. Following graduate school, she moved to Baltimore to work as a Speech Language Pathologist at the Harbour School, and then spent seven years at Grace Episcopal Day School in Kensington, Md., first as the Director of Learning Support and then as the Director of Enrollment, where she led admission and enrollment practices for Preschool through Grade 5. Just prior to joining Park, Melissa worked as a consultant for the Association of Independent Schools of Greater Washington (AISGW) while also launching her own tutoring business, supporting students at a range of independent schools in D.C. and Maryland. 

Melissa holds a B.S. in Merchandising, Apparels & Textiles from University of Kentucky, an M.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders from James Madison University, and holds a license and certification as a speech-language pathologist.