Melissa Gundling D’ElMelissa is a Vice President on Heartland’s Community team where she leads engagement with Midwest industry leaders and LPs to ensure Heartland’s portfolio aligns with their strategic and financial needs.

Melissa’s experience spans construction, financial services, technology, and marketing, giving her a distinctive cross-disciplinary perspective on investing and operations. Prior to Heartland, Melissa was with Addepar, a leading software and investment platform serving family offices and wealth managers. As an Associate at Acervus Securities, Addepar’s broker-dealer, she focused on secondary transactions for private shares and venture equity co-investments.

Melissa earned dual B.A. degrees at the University of South Carolina and is currently pursuing an M.B.A. at Case Western Reserve University. She lives in Cleveland with her husband and is passionate about the economic and societal values of the region. 

Outside of work, Melissa is an avid Cleveland baseball fan and enjoys boating, golfing, performance arts, and cooking with family and friends. A longtime volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters, she is committed to supporting underprivileged youth.