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Melissa Nelson

Assistant Professor of Practice

Teaching, Learning, and Leading

For over 30 years, Dr. Melissa M. Nelson has worked in the space where K-12 education, behavioral health services, law enforcement, and legal systems intersect. She has served in a variety of roles in urban, suburban, and rural education systems, including as an elementary and special education teacher and elementary and secondary administrator. Prior to her work in education, Dr. Nelson spent over a decade as a mental health clinician and victim advocate in various psychiatric, mental health, and legal settings. Dr. Nelson teaches graduate and doctoral courses focused on school safety and security, school law, and crisis leadership across systems.

Dr. Nelson’s professional work focuses on Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM), suicide prevention and postvention, and school-based behavioral health systems. She supports leaders and multidisciplinary teams as they navigate high-risk, high-consequence situations and build the organizational capacity necessary to make sound decisions during crisis.

Dr. Nelson has served as a consultant to the United States Secret Service, the FBI Pennsylvania Field Offices, the Pennsylvania Office of Homeland Security, and as a subject matter expert for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Public-Private Analytic Exchange Program. She has worked with school districts, intermediate units, and multidisciplinary teams across the United States to strengthen BTAM processes, suicide prevention efforts, crisis response protocols, and comprehensive school safety initiatives.

In addition to her academic and consulting work, Dr. Nelson serves as a forensic expert for Park Dietz and Associates in cases involving K-12 educational Standards of Care. Her forensic work focuses on educational practices related to student safety, BTAM, suicide prevention, and crisis response.

Dr. Nelson is recognized for her ability to synthesize research, policy, and practice across disciplines and translate complex concepts into practical frameworks that strengthen leadership capacity. Her teaching, consulting, and forensic work are grounded in the belief that effective leadership during crisis depends on sound professional judgment, multidisciplinary collaboration, and the development of prevention, intervention, and recovery systems that support informed and defensible decision-making.

  • PreK-12 School Safety and Security Systems and Practices
  • PreK-12 School Crisis Leadership Development and Practices
  • PreK-12 School Behavioral and Physical Health Systems and Practices
  • PreK-12 School Law

Academic Publications

Wycoff, K., Foleno, F., Bohn, G., Tarasevich, S., Nelson, M., & Peters, S. (In Press). School-community collaborations and trauma-informed educational approaches. In H. Edl Ormiston (Ed.), Trauma-informed multi-tiered systems of support: A guide for school practitioners. Oxford University Press.

 

News Outlets

  • Tribune Review, July 31, 2026, “Adults can’t keep up with teens’ latest tech. Experts describe how they can try.”
  • University of Pittsburgh, Pittwire Today, July 7, 2026, “25 years later, PA educators get a closer look at 9/11.”
  • University of Pittsburgh, School of Education, June 30, 2026, “Teaching Courage: Bringing the Story of flight 93 into Classrooms.”
  • Tribune Review, June 26, 2026, “For 25th observance of 9/11 terrorist attacks, teachers learn more about the people of Flight 93.”
  • Meadville Tribune, June 23, 2026, “State educators get lesson on teaching Flight 93 story.”
  • The Tribune Democrat, June 23, 2026, “Teaching with Courage: 9/11 & the Legacy of Flight 93
  • Kidsburgh – “From normal worries to warning signs: What families need to know about kids’ mental health” (September 25, 2025)
  • USA Today – “How has teaching about 9/11 changed since 2001? We asked educators” (September 11, 2025)
  • Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – “Active shooter organizer’s drills now routine in Pittsburgh-area classrooms” (August 31, 2025)
  • WTAJ News – “Expert explains delayed reporting in Centre County school attack plan.” (May 2025)
  • Pittsburgh Parent Magazine, “What should parents do if there is a lockdown emergency at their child’s school?” (August 2024)
  • Pittsburgh Parent Magazine, “School Shootings: How can we keep children safe?” (August 2023)

Podcast Series

Midwestern Intermediate Unit 4 Podcast Series “Lessons Learned: School Climate Series” (2025)

  • Climate Shift: Transforming Schools for the Future
  • Mental Health Literacy: Common Language and Understanding
  • From Awareness to Action: Implementing Trauma-Informed Practices
  • Breaking the Cycle: Revisiting Bullying Prevention
  • Empowering Educators: A Whole-School Approach to Mental Health
  • From Isolation to Intervention: Helping Students with Psychosis

  • “Violence Prevention in K12 Schools: New Expectations and the Legal Standard of Care,” 2026, Association of Threat Assessment Professionals (ATAP) Annual Conference, Session Speaker
  • “How Do We Teach with Courage? Teaching Difficult History Through Reflection, Awareness, and Trauma-Sensitive Practices,” 2026, Flight 93 National Memorial Inaugural Teacher Symposium, Opening Keynote
  • “School-Based Violence, Suicide, and Bullying in the K-12 Environment,” 2026, John Jay College and New York State Homeland Security and Emergency Services, Building the Northeast Network: The Way Forward to Prevent Targeted Violence, Invited Panel Participant
  • “When Risk Emerges: The Critical Role of School-Based Mental Health Clinicians in Multidisciplinary Violence and Suicide Prevention Efforts,” 2026, Pennsylvania Intermediate Units Annual Conference, Featured Session
  • “Targeted Violence Prevention: CATO + K12 BTAM Coordination,” 2026, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Community Anti-Threats Officer Program (CATO) Operational Meeting, Featured Speaker
  • “Beyond the Ripple: Addressing the Impact of Student Suicide in Schools,” 2026, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Annual Conference, Opening Keynote
  • “Navigating the current Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management landscape in K12: What we’ve learned and how we can improve our systems,” K-12 Schools and Campus Safety Symposium, 2025, The Bureau Consortium and Safe and Sound Schools, Featured Speaker
  • “Beginning with the End in Mind: Leading Safe and Secure Cultures and Climates During Turbulent Times,” 2025, National Association of Pupil Services Annual Conference Opening Keynote
  • “Navigating the current Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management landscape in K12: What we’ve learned and how we can improve our systems,” K-12 Schools and Campus Safety Symposium, 2025, The Bureau Consortium and Safe and Sound Schools, Featured Speaker
  • “Headline Conversations: NYC Park Avenue, CDC HQ, and Annunciation School Incidents,” 2025, The Bureau Consortium, Featured Panelist
  • “Suicide Awareness and Prevention: The SRO as a Critical Support,” 2025, PA School Resource Officer (PASRO) Annual State Conference, Featured Speaker
  • “School Safety and Security Workshop: Learn from Leaders,” 2025, Sigma7/RSM, Featured Speaker
  • “Ready. Aim. Fire. 40 Minutes to Prepare Yourself to Lead Safe and Secure Climates and Cultures,” 2025, 22nd Annual Jean E. Winsand Workshop for Women in School Leadership, Featured Speaker
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