Melissa A Gertz

"I can be changed by what happens to me, but I refuse to be reduced by it." ~ Maya Angelou 

No client leaves Melissa’s office without first confronting this quote on her door. While a reminder to her clients of the value of their own voices, it serves as a source of strength and empowerment for Melissa as well.     

In July 2004, Melissa was involved in a near fatal car accident.  Her head was crushed, her vision and face destroyed, and her mental health and brain function left in question.  Countless surgeries and rehabilitative therapies later, she emerged, but not without an acute understanding of what it took for her (still ongoing) recovery to be possible.  A victim turned survivor, Melissa understood firsthand the complications that come from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), the two signature wounds of the current wars.     

Fast forward four years.  Melissa’s severe visual limitations and immense pain were no match for her calling.  Seeing the unmet need and her unique position to help, she started an innovative legal services non-profit that would assist disabled veterans, with an emphasis on those who had fallen through the cracks and were homeless.  It would be the first of its kind in New Jersey—truly uncharted territory.  Melissa enlisted the participation of community volunteers from all walks of life, leading to a network of ‘experts’ and supporters that began to grow exponentially.  Armed with her background, vision, and a fantastic supporting cast, the Community Justice Center was born.  In short, Melissa went from aspiring to inspiring, rising above her own tragedy and using her unique position to improve the health of hundreds of others.

When not working, Melissa can be found traveling, in search of the best local beaches and microbreweries.  Her story is published in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Recovering from Traumatic Brain Injuries (June, 2014).