Following in the footsteps of her mother, Melea first earned her North Carolina real estate brokerage license in 1986. She went on to obtain a B.S. in Marketing Education from NC State in 1990. Melea has worked as a Real Estate Salesperson, Broker, and Broker-in-Charge over the past four decades, earning numerous top producer real estate sales awards and Listing/Selling Agent of the Month/Year throughout her career. After her twins began high school, Melea found a new wave of energy and enthusiasm, leading her to rediscover her passion for teaching. In 2014, she embarked on a new chapter as a real estate educator, sharing her wealth of knowledge through pre-licensing, post-licensing, and continuing education courses across North Carolina. Her commitment to education was further solidified when she earned her M.Ed. in Training and Development from NC State in 2019, focusing on adult learning, e-learning, and educational technology. In addition to her formal education, Melea has earned several educator designations: Real Estate Educator’s Association (REEA) Distinguished Real Estate Educator (DREI), REEA Gold Standard Instructor (GSI) and Certified Distance Education Instructor (CDEI). Melea’s impact on the North Carolina real estate education community is profound. She has earned prestigious accolades, including the REEA Rising Star Award in 2018 and the North Carolina Real Estate Educator Association (NCREEA) Educator of the Year Award in 2023. Her role as an instructional designer has also been significant, creating course materials for instructors and students for multiple real estate schools, and helping pioneer North Carolina’s first online real estate courses post-pandemic. But what truly sets Melea apart is the heartfelt connections she builds with her students. Guiding thousands from their first steps in pre-licensing to continuing education, Melea takes immense pride in seeing her students thrive and return for more classes. After nearly 40 years in the industry and a decade in real estate education, Melea is delighted to create Ignite School of Real Estate with her long-time friend and colleague Tracy Frazier. She looks forward to helping thousands more students reach success.