Melissa Kline Skavlem is chief operating officer and secretary of the board of directors for Gardner Business Media, Inc., the premier publisher for the plants, shops, factories, and the people of manufacturing in North America. Gardner provides an integrated approach to media through Automotive Design & Production, Plastics Technology, Production Machining, Products Finishing, MoldMaking Technology, Composites World and Modern Machine Shop.

Skavlem started working for Gardner during summers when she was 14 years old. She is a fourth generation descendant of Gardner Business Media’s founder, Don Gardner, who started the company in 1928 in Cincinnati, Ohio, with the introduction of Modern Machine Shop magazine -- the premier metalworking and machine tool publication in North America. Gardner, which prides itself on being family focused, currently has four family members in addition to Skavlem who work for the business, and numerous others with family connections.

Skavlem received her Bachelor of Arts from DePauw University in Greencastle Indiana in 1988. She is a past board member of Cincinnati’s Goering Center for Family Business, and on the board of directors for the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati. She lives in Cincinnati and with her husband Steve and their three daughters.