Mel Arnesen-Trunzo brings extensive experience in education, community building, and cross-cultural learning to her role as Program Director of The Mentoring Project of the Upper Valley. She currently teaches third and fourth grade at Thetford Elementary School, where she builds strong partnerships with families and uses outdoor and hands-on learning to help students grow.

Before joining Thetford Elementary, Mel worked as a learning coach and long-term substitute in the Rivendell Interstate School District. She also spent more than 25 years living and working abroad, including teaching positions in China. Across these roles, she has developed curricula and worked with students of different ages and backgrounds.

Mel’s commitment to connection extends beyond the classroom. She helped establish the Orford RePair Café, where neighbors share practical skills, and a Mandarin Language Café in Norwich that brings children and adults together through language and culture. She has also experienced the value of mentorship firsthand through Vermont Works for Women’s Trailblazers program and a construction internship. That experience informs her enthusiasm for The Mentoring Project’s Teen Apprenticeship Program.

Mel holds an M.A. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from SIT Graduate Institute, a postgraduate teaching qualification from the University of Sunderland, and a B.A. in Theatre Arts from the University of Iowa. She lives in Thetford Center, Vermont, and looks forward to helping young people throughout the Upper Valley find the caring relationships and opportunities that help them thrive.

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