Melissa Spas

She/Her

Vice President of Religion

Executive Team
Religion — Programming

About Melissa

I serve Chautauqua Institution as Vice President of Religion. I am responsible for strategy, programming and partnerships related to every aspect of Chautauqua’s religious mission — one of our four pillars. We are historically grounded in the Christian tradition, with a commitment to multireligious and interfaith programming and community, in the Abrahamic faiths and beyond. I think of my role as largely focused on serving the changing landscape of American religious life, and that means attending to the diversity and future of people across traditions, and the meaning-making work of people who don’t identify with any tradition at all. 

I spent the first part of my career working at the intersection of religious institutions and higher education, resourcing leaders to work in a changing landscape. Prior to joining Chautauqua, I spent eight years at Indiana University, working with Lake Institute on Faith & Giving. Before that, I was at Duke University’s Leadership Education at Duke Divinity. I am a lay person in the United Methodist Church, and deeply committed to helping people of faith live out their values and make a positive difference in our world. While my Christian faith grounds and motivates me, I consider it a privilege and a joy to work in an interfaith and multireligious context, as we learn with and from one another.

Why did you choose to work at Chautauqua? What do you like about working at Chautauqua?

I grew up at Chautauqua, and I never dreamed my work would bring me home! I believe in the Chautauqua experiment, and love working with incredibly thoughtful, creative and smart colleagues.

Current and Former Volunteer or Board Roles

• Board Member, James Prendergast Library Association 
• Board Member, Solihten Institute

Professional Affiliations

Member, American Academy of Religion

Personal Interests

Reading, cooking, traveling and spending time with my family