Contact
Education and Training
- Master of Business Administration (MBA) — Thunderbird School of Global Management, Arizona State University
- Bachelor of Science (BS) — Drake University
Biography
With over two decades of experience as a Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Melek Totah specializes in solving complex organizational challenges through sustainable, long-term financial strategies. Currently, Totah serves as CFO at Urban Alchemy, a national nonprofit dedicated to transforming urban spaces by healing and supporting unhoused individuals and vulnerable communities.
Totah's executive leadership in the nonprofit sector includes serving as CFO for California behavioral health care organizations of increasing scale and scope, including Caminar, Aspiranet, Edgewood Center, and West Coast Children's Clinic.
Totah built her foundation in financial governance and operations across world-class Fortune 100 companies, including roles as an international auditor at The Coca-Cola Company, in financial management at Procter & Gamble, and at Microsoft, before serving as Senior Finance Director at Gap Inc.
Areas of Expertise
- Strategic and Financial Leadership: Driving strategic clarity, revenue growth, and scalable financial sustainability
- Operational Excellence: Optimizing performance, reducing organizational risk, and embedding continuous improvement
- Resource Optimization: Hands-on collaboration to evaluate investment tradeoffs and deliver cost-effective, high-impact solutions
- Change and Innovation: Fostering innovation while aligning teams around clear operational priorities.
Courses Taught
- MHA 200B Healthcare Finance and Economics