Melissa Lackey

Group President

Melissa works closely with senior executives in professional services and other sectors to build trust with those who matter most to their business success.

Melissa is group president of Standing Partnership Operating Group. She and her partners bought the firm from the founder in 2014, after working at the company for 15 years in various positions. Since then, she’s been intentional about transitioning the company from its PR roots to a full-service strategic marketing consultancy. In 2023, she and her partner sold Standing Partnership to Dix & Eaton, a 100% Employee Stock Ownership Program, to bring an even wider range and depth of experience, capabilities, service offerings and insights to clients.

In addition to operating Standing Partnership and serving on the executive cabinet of Dix & Eaton, Melissa works closely with senior executives to help grow their businesses—whether it’s removing obstacles to growth and mitigating risk or designing marketing strategies to attract/retain customers.

Melissa is a skilled facilitator and consultant whose expertise lies in setting strategy and bringing cross-functional teams together to create results. She counts B2B marketing, digital strategy, lead generation, and sales enablement among the many tools in her toolbox. Melissa also frequently is called on to help organizations navigate crises and issues, and effectively manage change.

Her clients span a multitude of industries, including health care, professional services and manufacturing—among others. Prior to joining Standing Partnership, she spent 10 years in financial services.

Melissa believes in giving back. She has served on several St. Louis-area boards of directors, including the FOCUS St. Louis, Gateway Region YMCA (former board chair), United Way of Greater St. Louis and SSM Health Foundation (former board chair).

She has been a recipient of the Enterprising Women Magazine‘s Enterprising Women of the Year award, YWCA Metro St. Louis Leader of Distinction, Inspiring Workplace’s Inspiring Leader, St. Louis Titan100 and the St. Louis Business Journal’s Most Influential Business Women award. Under her leadership, Standing Partnership has been recognized as a top 50 Inspiring Workplace in North America and one of Small Business Monthly’s Winning Workplaces and Fastest Growing Small Companies.

Melissa earned her master’s degree in business administration from Maryville University and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Kansas.