Meet our team
Our staff
With well over a combined 100+ years of experience in mentoring, project management, organizational leadership, and nonprofit development, our team is uniquely qualified, by God’s grace, to train and equip men and women for a lifetime of God-honoring leadership.
Todd Melby
President
As the President of Leadership Edge, Todd is responsible for visioning and strategy development, organizational leadership, partner and stakeholder development, fundraising, and mentoring. Todd believes that investing deeply in one-on-one relationships makes an eternal impact in the spiritual and emotional health of individuals as well as an individual’s community.
John Hawkins
Founder
Since founding Leadership Edge, Inc in 1993, John has helped university students, young professionals, and organizational leaders across America wrestle with the issue of developing a leadership lifestyle. John believes that this is essential for effective, long-term leadership of today’s complex organizations and corporations.
Rebecca Thomas
Program Services Manager
Rebecca joined the Leadership Edge staff in 2020. In this role, she supports Leadership Edge Mentors, Mentees, Volunteers and Alumni through LEI Mentor Training, LEI Mentoring Relationships, volunteer efforts, and beyond.
Tim Safley
Communications Director
Tim joined Leadership Edge January 2019 after serving on the Young Life staff for 14 years. He oversees our communications and fundraising efforts and brings a broad range of nonprofit ministry experience to this position.
Janet Hawkins
Director of Women’s Services
After serving as a volunteer with Leadership Edge since its founding in 1993, Janet joined the staff team at Leadership Edge in 2012. She had worked the previous 13 years as a Technical Project Manager and Systems Analyst at Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina.
Leslie Melby
Program Coordinator
Leslie joined Leadership Edge as the Program Coordinator in February of 2022. She serves as Data Manager to oversee the development and use of data systems. Prior to joining LEI, Leslie gained project management experience as a consultant at a healthcare consulting firm and a manager of physician practices at Duke University Health System.
Jonathan Welch
Learning Designer
Beginning in September of 2022, Jonathan joined Leadership Edge to develop excellent learning design for the benefit of Leadership Edge Mentors, Mentees, Volunteers, Alumni, and Partner Organizations. After graduating from Duke University with a BA in Religion, Jonathan worked at The Summit Church as an ordained Pastor and Campus Elder.
Board of Directors
The Board keeps the organization and its President accountable for accomplishing the organization’s founding vision and mission within the stated values of the organization. They also review financial updates to help ensure that our organization is faithfully managing its funds.
Todd Melby –
Durham, NC
Board Member
President, Leadership Edge, Inc.
Randal Boyts –
Fort Worth, TX
Chairman of the Board
Managing Principal, retired Capital Analytics
Matthew Krauss –
Dallas, TX
Treasurer
Managing Director at RGT Wealth Advisors
Nicole Patterson –
Ann Arbor, MI
Board Member
Leadership Coach
Paul Carter –
Redwood City, CA
Board Member
Director, Manufacturing Design Audio at Apple
Andrew Chasse –
Minneapolis, MN
Board Member
VP, PG&A Strategy, Insights and Digital at Polaris Inc.
Eric Smith –
Houston, TX
Board Member
Air Traffic Controller, Houston Federal Aviation Administration
John Hawkins –
Fountain Valley, CA
Non-Voting Board Member
Founder, Leadership Edge, Inc.
“How can I help?”
What God calls you to become matters to me, how can I help? That’s our motto. Leadership Edge Mentors invest in you and help you understand a vision for your life.
John Hawkins
Founder
Since founding Leadership Edge, Inc in 1993, John has helped university students, young professionals, and organizational leaders across America wrestle with the issue of developing a leadership lifestyle. John believes that this is essential for effective, long-term leadership of today’s complex organizations and corporations.
John earned degrees from Wake Forest University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. His professional development includes completion of the Master Class for Leadership Educators at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. He has been published in numerous journals and publications including: Executive Excellence, Personal Excellence, The New York Times, Bottom Line Business, Student Leader Magazine, The Journal of the Service Industry Association and The Journal of Leadership and Management in Engineering. John’s book Leadership As A Lifestyle: The Path to Personal Integrity and Positive Influence was published in October 2001 by Executive Excellence Publishing.
More important than any of the above, John has been married to his wife Janet for over 43 years. He’s the father of Laura, Gary and Will, and “Papa” to Shelby, Barrett and Sadie.
Todd Melby
President
As the President of Leadership Edge, Todd is responsible for visioning and strategy development, organizational leadership, partner and stakeholder development, fundraising, and mentoring. Todd believes that investing deeply in one-on-one relationships makes an eternal impact in the spiritual and emotional health of individuals as well as an individual’s community.
Prior to coming to LEI, Todd served as the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Precision BioSciences, Inc. He has experience navigating severe cash flow problems, caring for employees, and humbly managing through corporate success.
Before joining Precision, Todd spent six years as an Operations Management Consultant with Accenture where he specialized in delivering operational efficiencies at several Fortune 500 companies. He has a robust set of leadership, management, operational, and financial skills. He earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology as well as an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.
Todd and his wife Leslie have three wonderful, active sons. Their household is filled with much love and MUCH energy so he and Leslie do everything they can to stay active and keep up!
Rebecca Thomas
Mentor Services Manager
Rebecca joined the Leadership Edge staff in 2020 as the Mentor Services Manager. In this role, she supports Leadership Edge Mentors, Mentees, Volunteers and Alumni through LEI Mentor Training, LEI Mentoring Relationships, volunteer efforts, and beyond.
Having over 25 years of experience in church-based and nonprofit Christian ministry, Rebecca has experienced the power of mentoring and leadership development for life-changing results. She has a particular passion for gospel-centered Bible study and women’s ministry. Rebecca earned a BA in Christian Education from Wheaton College, and an MA in Educational Ministries from Wheaton College Graduate School.
Rebecca is married to Jay who is the Lead Pastor of Chapel Hill Bible Church. They take great delight in their four teenage children. As a family, they love to travel, enjoy a good book or movie, and explore the outdoors.
Tim Safley
Communications Director
Tim joined Leadership Edge January 2019 after serving on the Young Life staff for 14 years. He oversees our communications and fundraising efforts and brings a broad range of nonprofit ministry experience to this position.
He believes that there is nothing more important than “showing up” in the life of another person for the sake of the gospel and has been involved in various mentor relationships for over two decades. As a life-long learner, Tim earned a BS in Communication from East Carolina as well as completing several courses in Theology over the years. Most recently, he studied Leadership at Cornell University.
Tim is married to Karen, his high school sweetheart. They’ve been married for 18 years and have two kids and a dog named Alice. For fun, Tim likes to read and play outside.
Janet Hawkins
Director of Women’s Services
After serving as a volunteer with Leadership Edge since its founding in 1993, Janet joined the staff team at Leadership Edge in 2012. She had worked the previous 13 years as a Technical Project Manager and Systems Analyst at Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina.
As Director of Women’s Services, Janet is responsible for overseeing mentoring program development and expansion of Women’s Services at all LEI city and campus sites. Janet serves as a mentor as well as trains and supports other women to mentor. She also serves as Data Manager to oversee the development and use of data systems.
Janet has a BA degree from UNC Chapel Hill and holds a Masters in Religious Education from Southwestern Seminary. She is a certified Project Manager Professional (PMP). She and John have been married for over 40 years. In addition to LEI, she loves to travel to see their three adult children and grandchildren.