Melissa Townsend

Melissa Townsend is Senior Producer of Minnesota Now, a daily news magazine show airing live weekdays on Minnesota Public Radio. She's been a reporter and audio producer in public media and tribal and community radio stations across Minnesota. Townsend has produced work for American Public Media, Chicago Public Radio, Minnesota Public Radio and the AMPERS network.  Townsend began her journalism career in Chicago with Third Coast Festival. She went on to work as a reporter in the newsroom at WBEZ/Chicago Public Media.  She was a producer on the station’s award-winning series Chicago Matters. Townsend has a Bachelors degree in Elementary Education and a Masters in Urban Planning. Before her radio career, Townsend was a junior high school teacher and a community organizer. In her free time, she loves being outdoors.