Melanie Porter, MSN, RN, CCRN is the Executive Director of Hospital Operations for ECU Health, where she provides operational leadership across a complex, multi hospital system with a focus on patient flow, throughput, and overall system performance. With 26 years of nursing experience, Melanie began her career in intensive care, establishing a strong clinical foundation before transitioning into inpatient operations and hospital movement. In her current role, she leads large scale, system level initiatives aimed at improving efficiency while supporting high quality, safe patient care. She is passionate about aligning clinical excellence with operational effectiveness to optimize outcomes across the care continuum. In addition to her professional role, Melanie is a full time doctoral student currently pursuing her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). Outside of work, she cherishes time with her husband, their two sons—both adopted from different countries—and her 98 year old grandmother, and enjoys traveling and being near the water.