About me
Melannie Denise Cunningham is a visionary leader, peacebuilder, and advocate for racial reconciliation with a lifelong dedication to justice and equity. She is the Founder, President, and CEO of Peace Works United, an organization committed to fostering peace in communities through strategic initiatives. In recognition of her lifelong work in racial reconciliation, she was awarded the 2018 Greater Tacoma Peace Prize and honored as the 2018 Greater Tacoma Peace Laureate. As part of this honor, she represented her community at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, Norway that same year.
Melannie spent 18 years at Pacific Lutheran University, holding increasingly senior administrative roles in Admission, Campus Ministry, and Continuing Education. She currently serves as the Chief Learning and Impact Officer (CLIO) for the International Development Group (IDG), a subsidiary of Investment Group Partners (IGP), a faith-based corporate holding company. In this role, she leads corporate learning, impact strategy, hospitality, and operational excellence while driving IDG’s mission-focused investments.
She is also the co-founder of L & M Ventures, a Ghana-based joint venture dedicated to empowering the African diaspora through business facilitation, cultural exchange, and real estate development.
Melannie is pursuing a PhD in Organizational Development and Change at Fielding Graduate University, focusing on philanthropic contributions from wealthy white people to support Black community development in the United States.
Her passions include golf, traveling, and gardening.
