Melissa Fruscione Joins enFocus as Director of Programs

enFocus, a nonprofit that attracts recent graduates to the South Bend-Elkhart region to work with regional organizations and spark innovation is pleased to welcome to Melissa Fruscione, Director of Programs, to their leadership team.

Fruscione possesses over 20 years of experience in higher education. Most recently she served as Director for Admission for Graduate Studies at Saint Mary’s College where she launched four new graduate programs. She also led recruiting and enrollment initiatives as the Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at the University of Notre Dame Law School, and Director of Recruitment at University at Buffalo Law School. Melissa offers expertise in program development and implementation, recruiting and talent development, policy creation, and communications.

Fruscione joins enFocus to oversee program operations and the strategic management of their recently expanded two-year Fellowship program. She will also lead recruiting efforts for fellows and interns as enFocus continues to grow to meet the need for young, professional talent in the region.

“We look forward to tapping Melissa’s experience to not only enhance our curriculum and professional development opportunities, but to improve all aspects of program operations to support our growth,” said Andrew Wiand, enFocus Executive Director. “We have a tremendous opportunity to support partner organizations and drive innovation in the region through expanding our Fellowship program.”

Since its inception in 2012, enFocus has proven to be a key resource for talent attraction in the South Bend-Elkhart region. Their Fellowship program provides graduates a unique, full-time, salaried opportunity; offering meaningful work experiences, dedicated time to pursue entrepreneurial initiatives, and professional development opportunities. It is a highly competitive program with the most recent class of 18 fellows selected from a pool of over 225 candidates from notable academic institutions. Most importantly, the Fellowship program has demonstrated success with over 70% of young professionals electing to stay in the region at the conclusion of their Fellowship.

Fruscione has closely followed enFocus and their impact locally and embraces their mission to build stronger communities through talent attraction.  She shared, “I am excited to play a role in bringing exceptional talent to the region and delivering an even better experience through the enFocus Fellowship. I am most excited to see how these young leaders working in our region over time will contribute to building more resilient and vibrant communities.”

A native of Western New York, Fruscione earned her Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Notre Dame and her law Degree from the University at Buffalo Law School.