Melissa Kucia

Melissa Kucia is often the first person that someone speaks to at Alder Grove, and her calming presence is felt both through these interactions and through her beautiful paintings that hang on the walls in the Downers Grove office.  Melissa has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of New Paltz in New York.  She is a professional artist who works primarily in painting, ceramics, and mixed media, and she is a certified Montessori assistant.  She has worked as an artist and assistant manager at Simon Pearce in SOHO, in gallery sales in Boulder, Colorado, and as a Montessori art teacher and assistant in Colorado and Chicago.  When not working, Melissa enjoys being in nature, hiking, skiing, doing yoga, and spending time with her family, friends, and dogs.  She believes that “nature is the purest portal to inner peace” (Angie Weiland-Crosby), and her life is guided by the Yung Pueblo quote “do the universe a favor; don’t hide your magic.”