Meet Melissa: Turning Empathy into Everyday Action
Melissa Jacobs brings trust, advocacy, and empathy into everything she does, helping create spaces where people feel seen, included, and confident.
Commitment
Diversity & Inclusion
People
Sustainability
Jun 25, 2026
At Henkel, our pioneers are driven by an unwavering spirit to explore, create, and transform possibilities into progress and improve life for generations to come. Learn their stories.
For Melissa Jacobs, inclusion starts with empathy and grows through action. As a senior litigation paralegal for Henkel North America, a longtime volunteer with Special Olympics CT and a leader of Henkel’s Awareness of Visible and Invisible Disabilities (AVID) Employee Resource Group (ERG), Melissa helps create spaces where people feel valued and empowered to participate fully.
Melissa shares what inspires her to be a pioneer for good
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Creating Space to Be Seen
The Special Olympics CT summer games in June 2026 marked the 15th year of Henkel’s support through employee volunteering and donations. Melissa is the lead organizer for the Henkel team – with a passion and connection for the games that began when she was younger, volunteering as a one-on-one escort for athletes at local events. Years later, her connection to the organization has taken on an even deeper meaning.
For Melissa, the most powerful moments are often the most personal.
As the parent of a son with a learning disability, Melissa saw volunteering as an opportunity to help build his confidence while showing him that people can face challenges, persevere, and achieve remarkable things. She has seen the growth in confidence for her son and the many athletes she meets at the games.
She also recalls when an athlete named Stephen, whom Melissa had never heard speak during the two years she had known him, stepped on stage during a karaoke event at the winter games in CT and confidently sang every word of a rock song.
When individuals feel included, it gives them a sense of belonging. When people feel like they belong, they start to advocate for themselves and take chances because they have that confidence.
Melissa Jacobs, Senior litigation paralegal for Henkel North America
Melissa’s commitment has earned significant recognition, including selection as one of 60 Henkel volunteers for the 2023 Special Olympics World Games in Berlin, Germany, and receiving Special Olympics CT’s Unsung Hero Award.
Small Changes, Meaningful Impact
Melissa hopes more Henkel employees can experience how volunteering can foster a deeper appreciation for Special Olympics athletes and others in need while offering meaningful lessons in resilience, confidence and inclusion.
That commitment carries into Melissa’s work with Henkel’s Awareness of Visible and Invisible Disabilities (AVID) Employee Resource Group (ERG). As one of the ERG’s leaders, she helps raise awareness around visible, invisible, permanent and temporary disabilities while encouraging employees to better support and understand one another’s experiences.
Melissa and her AVID colleagues are continuously identifying meaningful opportunities to raise awareness, including:
Hosting a table of education materials and sign language resources at Henkel’s Match and Mixer soccer event for employees and their families where one match featured the German and U.S. Men’s Deaf National Teams.
Organizing an empathy-building VR experience to give Henkel colleagues an opportunity to better understand experiences related to autism, dementia, low vision and hearing impairment.
Co-hosting a series of accessibility learning sessions with Henkel’s IT team to help colleagues better understand the digital tools on their Henkel computers to support different audio/visual needs.
For Melissa, progress does not require a large-scale solution. Sometimes it starts simply with active listening, recognizing needs that may not be immediately visible and making small adjustments that help people feel comfortable and seen.
If we can make an impact and improve just one person’s day-to-day experience at Henkel, then we’re making progress.
Melissa Jacobs, Senior litigation paralegal for Henkel North America
Building a More Inclusive Future
As Henkel celebrates its 150th anniversary under the motto “Future? Ready!”, Melissa believes building a more inclusive future starts with the actions people take every day through their interactions with colleagues at work or volunteering in the community. It is about consistently choosing empathy, listening to understand and helping others feel they belong.
By championing trust, advocacy and awareness, Melissa is helping build a more inclusive future, one colleague, one athlete and one community at a time.
Our sustainability strategy is inspired by our purpose: Pioneers at heart for the good of generations. With our pioneering spirit, our knowledge, our products and technologies, we want to enrich and improve the lives of billions of people every day – and shape a viable future for the next generations.
