Melissa Canady Wargo has served as Chief of Staff and Chief External Affairs Officer for Western Carolina University, a public regional university in the UNC System, since 2013. She functions as strategic thought partner to the Chancellor and oversees board and government relations, marketing and communications, and executive crisis management. 

Dr. Wargo has 30 years of experience working in higher education. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Arlington and holds professional development certificates in crisis leadership from the John F. Kennedy School of Government and educational management from the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University.