Melanie Scott-Bennett is the sixth of seven children born to Dr. and Mrs. Leonard Scott. Melanie earned her Bachelor of Science from Ball State University and Juris Doctorate from Valparaiso University School of Law. Today, she is the Legal Counsel at Microsoft where she supports the $8B consumer marketing business for North America. With over 13 years of legal experience and over 19 years of business acumen, her passion for innovative thinking has resulted in transformative deal structures and product launches that have spanned industry verticals from entertainment to technology. Unfortunately, no educational training or legal experience could prepare Melanie for the life-changing diagnosis she received in 2013 when she was informed by doctors that she had an aggressive form of leukemia. Later that year, Melanie underwent a near-death but life-saving stem cell transplant that took her down a 2+ year recovery.

Melanie embodies the definition of a woman warrior. When cancer came kicking her door down, she took the hinges off and stepped over defeat. As a passionate and creative storyteller, Melanie has captured her miraculous survival in a memoir titled Through It All. A much sought-after speaker, Melanie travels the world sharing her powerful message of hope and resilience. She has served as a keynote speaker and panelist at major conferences as well as corporate, non-profit and faith-based events. She strives to motivate everyone to soar above obstacles, never give up, and take action to not only survive, but to thrive. She currently resides in Silver Spring, MD and is happily married to Dr. Duane Bennett.