Melanie Mack
Melanie is a seasoned Proposal and Capture Manager with over 20 years of experience driving strategic business development and delivering high-value proposals across diverse industries. With a strong background in project management, proposal writing, and technical documentation, Melanie excels at translating complex strategies into seamless execution. Her career spans leadership roles at major organizations such as Dell Technologies, Forcepoint, and Staples Technology Solutions, where she has consistently optimized processes, led high-performing teams, and secured multimillion-dollar contracts.
Currently serving as Proposal Team Manager at Staples Technology Solutions, Melanie specializes in streamlining workflows, aligning cross-functional teams, and embedding continuous improvement practices into proposal operations. Her expertise includes managing end-to-end proposal processes, developing strong business relationships with Sales leadership, and leveraging emerging technologies to improve efficiency. At Forcepoint she achieved building out a Proposal Team from the bottom up creating sustainable workflows, and building cross-functional business relationships. At Dell Technologies, Melanie’s leadership was instrumental in winning large multi-million client bids, earning her prestigious awards in recognition of her outstanding contributions to business growth.
Beyond her professional pursuits, Melanie is a passionate modern homesteader, dedicated to organic gardening, food preservation, and regenerative farming. This personal commitment enriches her professional approach, fostering long-term planning, adaptability, and resource-conscious solutions. Whether leading complex proposals or cultivating sustainable systems at home, Melanie approaches every challenge with creativity, focus, and a systems-oriented mindset that drives success.
• The University of Texas at Austin - BA
• Director's Cup Award
• Association of Proposal Management Professionals
• Texas Baptist Children's Home
What do you attribute your success to?
My success comes from treating every challenge as a system to be understood and optimized. I take the time to see patterns, whether in people, processes, or performance metrics and I use those insights to create viable improvements. It’s the blend of analysis and intuition that’s helped me deliver results and lead effectively.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
A previous manager once told me, ‘You don’t have to have it all figured out, just stay curious and keep moving toward what feels aligned.’ That advice has kept me open to learning, pivoting when needed, and embracing growth even in uncertain times. It’s helped me see my career as an evolving journey, not a fixed destination.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to young women starting out is to stop chasing balance and start looking for integration. ‘Balance’ makes it sound like work and life are pulling you in opposite directions, but really, they shape and support each other. My work in proposal strategy taught me discipline and clarity, while life on the homestead taught me patience and flexibility. Both matter. When you bring the same care to designing your life that you bring to your work, being intentional, learning from what works and what doesn’t, and thinking about the long term, then you can naturally create space for both success and authenticity. Real leadership grows from that space, where your values aren’t left at home, they show up in every choice you make.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Proposal Management is at a turning point right now. The biggest challenge and opportunity lies in how teams harness AI, automation, and content governance to scale quality without losing the human strategy behind a winning bid. Many organizations still operate reactively, treating proposals as administrative tasks rather than strategic sales enablers.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I value integrity, stewardship, and continuous growth in my professional work and personal life. In proposal management, that means building processes and relationships rooted in transparency, accountability, and long-term success rather than short-term wins. I believe in creating systems that are sustainable, whether it’s developing reusable content libraries or fostering team structures that support balance and learning.
In my personal life, I live by similar principles through homesteading and regenerative living. Caring for the land and animals has taught me patience, foresight, and respect for natural cycles, all of which translate directly into how I lead projects and teams. Ultimately, my core value is sustainability of people, processes, and purpose.