Melissa Carr Rowe
Executive Director, Central New York Lyme & Tick-Borne Disease Alliance
Melissa Carr Rowe, MSc, CPH serves as the Executive Director of the CNY Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Alliance. A strategic senior leader and lifelong Central New Yorker, she brings extensive experience building mission-driven coalitions and cross sector partnerships across healthcare, education, and community based organizations. She previously served in senior healthcare quality and systems performance roles, developing a strong understanding of the clinical and systems-level factors that influence strong healthcare outcomes. She succeeded founding Executive Director Royale Scuderi in January 2026, and continues the organization’s legacy as a trusted regional resource for education, prevention, and advocacy.
Melissa’s leadership is defined by a rare balance of strategic rigor and deep empathy for the patient experience. A United States Army veteran and cancer survivor, she brings firsthand insight into the challenges individuals and families face when navigating complex, life altering illnesses. She is currently a candidate for a Doctor of Education at SUNY Empire State University and has built her career around convening diverse stakeholders and strengthening public-private partnerships to drive awareness, prevention, advocacy, and systems level improvement in public health.