Melody Chatelle

I met Melody one summer when we volunteered for Camp Braveheart, a children’s camp that “ … brings together the fun of a recreational camp with grief support …” that is sponsored by a local hospice. Her kind disposition, warm smile and easy laugh not only blessed the children at the camp, but me as well.

Dr. Melody Chatelle is a well respected veteran of the national and state legislative arenas as well as the author of a book about the personal experiences of young people with life-limiting illness.

Journeys of Heartache and Grace – Conversations and Life Lessons from Young People with Serious Illnesses is a positive, practical and poignant book about a journey we will all face with our loved ones and ourselves: the ending of our lives. Melody approaches this topic from the viewpoint of seriously ill young people who have little to hide or hold back. She hears and writes about their personal journeys, how they want to be treated, what they have to say about their own lives, and how people of all ages can deal with their own pending mortality. 

More about Melody.

Prior to forming Chatelle and Associates, her own political and communications consulting company in 1999, Melody worked for 12 years as Director and Vice President of Government Affairs for Mariner Post-Acute Network, the second largest post-acute health care company in the country with an operating base in 42 states. Before joining the health care industry in 1987, Melody served for 10 years in the Texas State Capitol as a legislative aide to a former Texas State Senator now serving in the United States Congress, as well as the Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives.

On the national scene, Melody has served as Chair of the American Health Care Association’s (AHCA) Legislative Subcommittee and was named the 1997 AHCA Outstanding Key Member. Her degrees include a Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) from the Department of Communication Studies, University of Texas at Austin; Master of Public Affairs (MPA) from The LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin and an undergraduate degree in Journalism and Business from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, where she was named Outstanding Female Graduate.

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