Melissa Safford

Melissa Safford is currently the VP of Application Systems, Product and PMO at Purple Communications Inc. Melissa has over 20 years of experience in IT Solutions and project management. Prior to joining Purple Communications, they were with Windstream where they were the Sr. Director of IT Solutions.

Ms. Safford has a proven track record of successfully leading and managing projects through the IT organization. After the acquisition of One Communications, they were moved to the PMO office where they successfully rolled out the first suite of products across the newly formed organization. The successful completion of this program resulted in their being promoted to Director, Program Management / Product Delivery, and eventually Sr. Director, PMO and Product Development.

When Windstream acquired Earthlink, Ms. Safford was initially engaged in M&A and transition planning. Melissa eventually moved to IT Solutions where they contributed to the capture of $6.6M in annual revenue through effective leadership and project management of all product development projects. Additionally, they boosted growth 30% YOY via implementation of multiple new systems including integration projects stemming from Earthlink’s acquisition of six IT service companies.

Ms. Safford is a highly effective leader with a proven track record of delivering exceptional ROI across revenue growth, customer experience, resource optimization, and IT dollars spent. Melissa is meticulous in their prioritization of critical company projects which has resulted in improved project through-put and decreased project intervals.

Melissa Safford holds a Bachelor of Arts from the State University of New York College at Oswego in Philosophy and Sociology.