Melvina S. Banti is the Senior Director of Out-of-School Time (OST) and Youth Programs. A Philadelphia native with nearly twenty years of experience, she specializes in program management, professional development, coaching, and leading high-quality youth development initiatives.

At ECS, Melvina oversees all OST and youth programs, ensuring program excellence, compliance, strong community partnerships, and alignment with the agency’s mission to reduce intergenerational poverty. She played a key role in launching six academic access centers during the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to support strategic funding efforts and logic model development.

She holds an M.S. in Nonprofit Management from Eastern University, an M.A. in English Literature from Middlebury College, and a B.A. in English Education with a minor in Spanish from Lincoln University. Melvina is a National Afterschool Matters Fellow (2017–2019), a Certified Professional Coach through the World Coach Institute, a recognized Afterschool Ambassador, and a 2024 participant in the Forum of Executive Women’s Mentoring Program. She is also trained in trauma-informed care, mental health first aid, emergency preparedness, and inclusive practices.
Committed to expanding high-quality OST opportunities, Melvina serves as an Afterschool Ambassador with Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool/Youth Development Network (PSAYDN, where she collaborates with statewide leaders to strengthen youth programs and promote work-life integration and mental health support across the field.