With a BA from Yale University and an MA in education from Columbia Teachers College, Melissa Burkhart was a teacher for ten years, working closely with Spanish-speaking students and their families. In 2001, she founded Futuro Sólido USA, a translation agency emphasizing bridging cultural as well as language barriers. Futuro Sólido focuses on getting the desired results from delivering a message in another language, primarily Spanish, and offers a wide range of solutions when simple translation is insufficient. Designed as a resource for companies that either hire or sell to Spanish speakers, Futuro Sólido has served the employee benefits industries for over twenty years and developed unique and innovative products and strategies to educate speakers of other languages as to the importance of benefits.
Melissa has presented extensively on strategies to overcome Spanish speakers’ resistance to benefits and retirement plans. She has done numerous presentations and radio and television appearances, including interviews on Univision Channel 50. Her articles on issues relating to the Spanish-speaking workforce have appeared in such publications as the Denver Business Journal, HIU Magazine, the CHRA Advisor, and BenefitsPro. Melissa learned Spanish in Ecuador, Spain, Colombia, and on the subway in New York City.