Hannibal resident, University of Missouri professor joins Blessing Foundation board of trustees

QUINCY — Hannibal resident Melissa C. Griswold is the newest member of the Blessing Foundation.

Griswold is an associate teaching professor in the department of finance at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Mo. She previously was a business faculty member and dean at Quincy University and Maryville University in St. Louis.

Griswold has received various teaching and advising awards during her career, such as the 2022-2023 Faculty Member of the Year at the University of Missouri’s Robert J. Trulaske, Sr., College of Business. She has been quoted recently on popular financial literacy sites including WalletHub and MoneyGeek.

Griswold earned her doctorate in business/finance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a master of business administration and a bachelor’s degree in finance from Western Illinois University.

Her community activities include starting multiple family-owned businesses including Bailey’s Fudge and Fine Gifts in Quincy, serving on bank advisory boards, volunteering at financial literacy presentations, and with the Hannibal Auxiliary, Quincy Community Theater and Quincy Symphony Choir.

In a press release, Griswold said, “I bring two strengths to my role as a board member with the Blessing Foundation. In addition to experience in finance, on which the foundation relies to fulfil its mission, I bring the viewpoint of a long-time resident of the area who is vitally interested in the quality of life and health of people throughout the region I call home.”

The Blessing Foundation works to improve the health of residents of the region by raising, maintaining and disbursing charitably donated funds to support the healthcare provided by Blessing Health System and to address the unmet needs of the patients and families it serves.