Melanie Gilbert was recently named Assistant Manager for Community Engagement and Educational Programs at the Reynolds Homestead in Critz.
Gilbert, 54, said her duties are primarily to back up Sarah Wray, the community engagement, partnerships, and programs manager.
Her duties primarily include “anything basically that supports the community and brings them into the Reynolds Homestead. Like community engagement events, educational programs, the Women’s Wellness Forum, and we’re doing a Dr. Seuss birthday celebration.,” she said.
In this new position, Gilbert wants to connect with the community and have a great relationship with the diverse communities in the area.
“I also want to have the community come to the Homestead and value it and appreciate it as much as I do,” she said.
Gilbert also plans to build a better relationship between the Homestead and the Blue Ridge Mountain communities.
“Sometimes I feel like maybe because we are so far from the mountain” the Homestead is “just disconnected from that group. I would like to see a more relationship built with that part of the community,” she said.
While she has only been in the role for about three weeks, Gilbert said she’s learned a lot about herself and her strengths and weaknesses. She added her experience thus far has been eye-opening.
While the educational programs and planning events components of her job are what she’s good at, Gilbert feels like marketing and budgeting are something she needs to learn and improve.
“I think the whole team here has been great, and I have learned so much with women’s wellness and learning as far as budgeting that event and marketing,” she said. “I never really realized how much went into planning from that aspect of budgeting and marketing.”
Gilbert decided to apply for the post because the job description included a list of educational programs, and she felt her teaching experience and leadership skills made her a good candidate for the position.
“It has been truly my honor and my privilege to be in this historical place and to represent it for the community is one of my greatest honors,” she said. “I just love it.”
Gilbert and her husband, Shannon Gilbert, live in Ridgeway. The couple has one son Austin Gilbert.
A graduate of Patrick & Henry Community College (P&HCC), she has a liberal arts degree with a concentration in education with a concentration in history from Averett University.
Gilbert taught 8th-grade English for most of her 22-year teaching career. She also worked in corporate hospitality for the Martinsville Speedway races for eight to 10 years.
In her spare time, she volunteered and performed with TheaterWorks and Patrick & Henry Patriot Players. Gilbert is also a member of the Horsepasture Christian Church and enjoys baking and cooking.
