Melanie Marie Boyer
Executive Director
Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
www.pmahcc.org

Melanie Marie Boyer has lived in and around the Pittsburgh region her whole life, and as the Executive Director of Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, she’s committed to representing the city’s Hispanic community in everything she does.

“Everywhere I go and in every conversation I have, I seek to shift paradigms to bring positivity, a silver lining and improved outcomes for all.”

Created 20 years ago — a time when few Latinos were living in Pittsburgh — the Chamber is the principal regional advocate for the Hispanic business community’s civic and economic interests. First a way for local Hispanic professionals to socialize, the organization later evolved to include formal networking events and a scholarship for Hispanic students.

Boyer became involved in the Chamber after attending one of its events in 2018. It wasn’t long before she began leading the event herself and managing the organization’s website. After attending a national convention for Hispanic chambers, she was inspired to gain more state and local funding for the Chamber. Boyer took on the role of Director of Development and, having built a sustainability plan and improved the organization’s board structure and engagement with the community, put the organization in a position to obtain grants. Shortly after Boyer became the director, the organization received funding from the Heinz Endowments and the Hillman Foundation, which has ensured its long-term sustainability — in addition to providing professional development scholarships to help 20 Hispanic businesses thrive in a post-COVID-19 world.

Boyer’s advice to any person in business is to “Create your own reality and do not let anyone tell you that you can’t.”

“Everything starts somewhere and the next great thing will start with one person — why not you?” she says.

The best advice she’s ever received came from a call she had with Second Lady of Pennsylvania Gisele Fetterman. “…I was at the top of my game in so many areas but was not giving myself the time I needed,” Boyer says. “She reminded me that without being whole, that I would not have enough to give the causes and people I love 100 percent. She said that to do my best, I needed to be my best and without prioritizing myself this would not be possible.” Sponsored content is created and paid for by the marketer.

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