Melissa Fitzgerald joined the Florida Panthers in July 2022 as the General Manager of the FTL War Memorial complex. She spent the fifteen years prior with the San Jose Sharks, operating an arena and practice facility similarly situated to the War Memorial in a vibrant, socio-economically diverse, downtown urban market. Prior to her tenure with the Sharks, Melissa created and operated youth hockey programs in the San Francisco Bay area. She worked as a Hockey Director for the Zamboni family for over ten years at their three Bay Area rinks. During this time, she established one of the first NHL Diversity Task Force (now Hockey Is For Everyone) member clubs and helped to facilitate the first girls’ hockey program in Northern California. Melissa currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce. Throughout her career, she has served in a variety of capacities within USA Hockey, including as a Director and Youth Chair for the California Amateur Hockey Association, President of the Northern California Youth Hockey Association, and Director of the Amateur Hockey Officials Corporation. Her education includes an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering and an MBA.
