Fourth Friday Luncheon

Melissa Morrison Howard became the first 100 meter hurdler to win Olympic Medals in back-to-back Olympic Games after winning her second bronze medal in Athens, Greece in 2004.  She is a four-time U.S. champion in the 100 meter hurdles and was consistently ranked in the top 5 in the world from 1997 to 2005. During those years Melissa initially competed professionally for Reebok and Oakley and most recently for Adidas.  In 2009, she was inducted into the inaugural Southern Conference Hall of Fame.  That class also included golfer Arnold Palmer and basketball great Jerry West.

 

Melissa graduated from Appalachian State University with a B.S. in psychology and a minor in human resources and personnel.  In addition, while at Appalachian State she won 12 individual Southern Conference Championships and is considered the greatest track and field athlete in Southern Conference history.  After retiring from Track and Field in 2005, she went on to obtain her Masters Degree in Counselors Education from South Carolina State University and immediately worked as a guidance counselor in South Carolina schools.

 

Melissa currently works as a Special Education Teacher in Lewisville ISD and recently obtained her Texas guidance counselor certification. Melissa is married to Josephus Howard and has two boys: Trenton, a 1st grader at Phillips Elementary in Frisco, and 3 year-old Landon who attends Coppell Montessori school.