Vice President of Marketing and Communications / Age 39
Network Health
After living out of state for a few years while working for a health plan in Illinois, Melanie Draheim got her big break: Her mentor, Penny Ransom — chief administrative officer at Network Health — told her about a new opportunity at the provider-owned health plan.
“I’m a Wisconsinite at heart, and my husband and I missed the lakes … it was the perfect opportunity to move into a management role and get back to Wisconsin where our friends and family are,” says Draheim, who had previously worked with Ransom at another organization.
“As a leader and mentor, Penny has always empowered me to do my best work,” Draheim says. “By pushing me out of my comfort zone when I’ve needed it most, she’s taught me how real growth begins: by doing things you’ve never done before.”
The move offered Draheim the opportunity to build Network Health’s brand from the ground up, expanding its marketing team from a few individuals to a team of 14 professionals.
Draheim encourages and supports her team in volunteering in the community, and she personally supports causes that focus on families and youth in need, young professionals in developing career skills, nature conservation and animal welfare.
A Weston native who graduated from UW-Stevens Point, Draheim loves to fish and camp. “Tent camping, not glamping,” she says. “The less frills and the more remote, the better.”
