Melissa Danielsen is the CEO and Co-Founder of Joshin. Melissa has nearly twenty years of marketing and sales experience, focusing on partnership development, program growth and entrepreneurship. Melissa's greatest passion is addressing systemic problems through human-centered tech solutions to bridge the gap between access and opportunity.

 After the passing of her brother, Josh, who had developmental disabilities and epilepsy, Melissa co-founded Josh's Place in December 2011 and grew Medicaid services for adults with disabilities, neurodivergence, and chronic conditions until it was acquired in December 2019. Prior to this, Melissa worked at Comcast, developing and executing retail marketing programs while maintaining relationships with major retailers. She also started in advertising sales with E! Entertainment in NYC, where she learned the importance of reaching people with products in different lifecycle stages.

Melissa is a mom to two amazing girls and two dogs, and is an active yogi, film buff, and can run her favorite podcasts 24/7.

Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza is a freelance journalist and From Day One contributing editor who writes about work, the job market, and women’s experiences in the workplace. Her work has appeared in the BBC, The Washington Post, Quartz at Work, Fast Company, and Digiday’s Worklife.

Shari Siegel is a Supervisor of Employee Benefits at Navy Federal’s headquarters in Vienna, VA. She has an extensive background in the employee benefits space. Her main areas of focus are Navy Federal’s Family Support benefits programs, Communications and Leave related-projects, along with working on strategic benefits initiatives. Shari has been employed with Navy Federal for over three years. Prior to coming on board, she spent several years in the health and benefits consulting field. She assisted employers across various industries with managing their benefit programs.

When Shari isn’t working, she loves spending time with her family, along with traveling, hiking, and reading.

Athena Villarreal is the Manager, Diversity Inclusion and Belonging Programs, ERGs, at Navy Federal Credit Union. She has nearly 20 years of employee programs and strategic communications experience and is passionate about building inclusive communities in the workplace. Throughout her career, Athena has led communications and employee experience program strategies, integrating DI&B efforts to enhance company culture. Prior to Navy Federal, Athena worked at USAA, S&P Global, and Godiva Chocolatier headquarters in NYC.

She earned a master’s degree in international affairs: media & culture from The New School in NYC and a bachelor’s degree in communications: public relations from The University of Texas San Antonio.

Athena is based in San Antonio, Texas, where she and her husband enjoy spending time with their daughters and their dogs. Athena loves to cook, read, travel, and explore new foods, languages, and cultures.