Melissa Keller, MBA

Founder and President, Abigail E. Keller Foundation

Melissa Keller is the Founder and President of the Abigail E. Keller Foundation, created in loving memory of her daughter Abbey, who was born with profound medical complexities and passed away in 2019 at the age of 11½. Inspired by Abbey’s life, Melissa has become a passionate advocate for medically fragile and terminally ill children and their families.

Before founding the organization, Melissa built a career in public service, working at both the federal and state levels. She served as a Constituent Liaison for a U.S. Congressman and later as Communications Director for the Texas Railroad Commission. From 2012 to 2015, she was appointed by Governor Rick Perry to the Texas Education Agency’s Continuing Advisory Committee for Special Education, where she advocated for children with disabilities.

Melissa holds an MBA from St. Edward’s University and brings a powerful combination of lived experience and policy expertise to her work. Under her leadership, the Foundation is working to build Abbey House—a first-of-its-kind pediatric respite and hospice care home in Texas—offering families the critical support they need during some of the hardest moments of their lives.

Her mission is deeply personal, and her work honors Abbey’s legacy by lighting the way for others walking similar paths.