In just three short years working with the Center for Afterschool, Summer and Enrichment (CASE) for Kids, Melvin Meade has bridged lessons learned in both the education and banking industries to positively impact those around him.  A regional program coordinator and site coordinator at Clear Creek Intermediate School, Meade was selected as Harris County Department of Education’s (HCDE) April Employee of the Month for the “deposits” he makes daily.

Those deposits can be as simple as exposure. Or believing.

Meade grew up in a family of educators but went into finance and banking. He used those educational lessons in his career, but ultimately pivoted to working in school and impacting those around him.

He recalls a story about students feeling sad and doubting whether they could be part of the Clear Creek Intermediate cheerleading program.

“We told them ‘Of course you can,’” Meade said. “So, we went and found out what it takes to be a cheerleader. We walked down the hallway and looked in the gym where the cheerleaders were cheering.”

That exposure is all it took. Those same students now believed they could do it. They signed up for tryouts, and now the cheerleading squad is larger due to increased tryout participation, with a number of those students coming from the school’s CASE for Kids program.

He recalls another about a budding artist who doubted her work. As a sixth grader, she would routinely share her work with Meade but wasn’t excited about it. Despite her self-doubt, Meade hung up all of her artwork, telling her one day her work would be on display at the famous Metropolitan Museum of Art.

“One day, we’re going to go to the Met Gala,” Meade told her. “And I say it every time I see her. I’ve shown her the videos and even when she says we’re not going to do that, I still tell her. Even if she has to push me in a wheelchair because I’m older, we’ll be there.”

Although she is now in seventh grade, Meade still has the artist’s collection on display. Others have even joined in, wanting to see their artwork on display.

“These are middle school kids who sometimes think they’re too cool to be in school, but they’re seeing their work being displayed,” Meade said. “That’s what makes it worthwhile. It’s about bringing people together and that’s what we do well with CASE for Kids. We ignite what’s already in the child.”

Meade was nominated for Employee of the Month by Alcides Wolhers, a CASE for Kids site coordinator for George Sanchez North Charter School. Wolhers was wowed initially by the way Meade carried himself during their first interactions. But when Meade reached out and took Wolhers under his wing, it left an impression and helped foster a friendship.

“He’s the type of person that consistently demonstrates exceptional skills, dedication and hard work,” Wolhers said. “I admire him as an individual and as a worker for CASE for Kids. So, when I read about the nomination, I knew this was my opportunity to say thank you.”

Meade’s story began just outside of Pittsburgh – 12 miles up the Ohio River in a small suburb called Sewickley, Pa.

He comes from a family of educators. His mother, a high school department head and father a principal and reverend. His aunts were teachers and an uncle worked in administration.

His core comes from his grandparents, who were affectionately called the “Duke and Duchess.”

“They were individuals who were always in the community and spoke about what it meant to have a proper education,” Meade said. “That’s where it started – it was already embedded in me. When I decided to go to college, my degree was in industrial technology and had nothing to do with education, but I worked at a private school in an after-school program and I just found myself falling into the field of education even though that’s not what I studied.”

Soccer was another passion, as Meade started playing at 4 years old. As he grew and improved, Meade played with different club teams and eventually at the collegiate level. He even earned a tryout with the Houston Hotshots, a former professional indoor soccer team.

And like education, soccer provided building blocks for Meade that he still uses to this day and hopes to pass on to those he works with.

“Vision and patience,” he said. “It’s a buildup and it’s a game of choices. Basketball, for example, is a reactive game. Soccer is a proactive game. You move pieces around the field and you take a look at how the field is being developed.

“Then there are times when you have to kick the ball back to the keeper, the keeper sets it up again and it’s a reset. As a soccer player, I bring that into life – it’s okay to start over again. It’s okay to develop as a unit.”

Meade went into finance and banking after college, first as a Wachovia Bank financial center manager. Providing top-notch service was a priority and Meade went back to a lesson his father taught him – the importance of building relationships and giving everyone a positive experience.

In banking, that meant serving the children as well.

“They’re here because their parents have a need, but when we’re talking to the parents, we leave the children out,” Meade said. “I remember the banker that spent time with me when I went with my dad. He took care of my dad’s concern but also took care of me and walked me through the process of what it is to have a positive banking relationship.”

It continued with a move to Chase Bank, but Meade still had the itch of education to scratch and wanted to make a greater impact on his community.

Meade made the move to education and while working at a private school, he applied at HCDE. It was more on a whim, but the more he looked at what the Department did, the more he liked what he saw.

“Once I became an employee with CASE for Kids, it just felt like home,” Meade said. “From the time I’ve been here – it’s been three years – I just know I’m part of an organization that supports me. This is an organization that wants to see you grow. This is an organization that when you say, if it’s good enough for the kids, let’s make it exceptional.”

Meade does that at Clear Creek Intermediate, but also with his peers. As a regional program coordinator, Meade supports other site and program coordinators to make sure their programs are running well and helps provide the best resources for students on their respective campuses.

That was the case with Wolhers. Meade spent an entire week with him at Sanchez North and provided insight and strategies on recruiting both students and teachers to the program. He offered advice on the best way to talk to parents and school administrators.

In a way, it was the same igniting he coaches the coordinators to do with the students.

“The way I see, he embodies the values and spirit of CASE for Kids,” Wolhers said. “And his contributions have made a great impact on the team’s success. All of us are coming along and he is the motor behind all of us.”