Melissa De Young

Melissa DeYoung is Chief Executive Officer at Pollution Probe. She brings nearly 20 years of experience tackling environmental issues, 15 of them dedicated to advancing Pollution Probe’s mission through programming, policy, and advocacy.

Before stepping into the CEO role, Melissa steadily progressed through key leadership positions with the organization, including Vice President, Director of Policy and Programs (leading the Circular Economy and Water Programs), and Project Manager. In these roles, she addressed a broad range of issues—from environmental health and chemicals management to Great Lakes and freshwater management, circular economy and transportation.

A certified Project Management Professional (PMP), Melissa has extensive experience in designing, implementing and overseeing policy and environmental protection initiatives and public engagement campaigns and in developing clear, actionable strategies to address a range of complex environmental challenges. Notable initiatives under her leadership have included the Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup, Plastics Pathway, Electric Mobility Adoption and Prediction, and the development of an innovative machine learning tool in support of adaptive watershed management.

Melissa holds a Master of Environmental Studies from York University and an Honours Bachelor degree in Political Science from the University of Toronto.