Mandy Meloon

Mandy Meloon is an accomplished athlete and has received multiple international titles, including being the first Junior World-Champion and many time World medalist.  Beginning at age 13, she maintained an impressive career in taekwondo for over 20 years before retiring from the sport.

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As a highly decorated martial artist, Mandy seemingly had all the tools to prevent an unwanted encounter. However, after surviving years of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse during her impressive taekwondo career, she suffered greatly in the aftermath of speaking out against her abusers. Mandy bravely stood up as the first person in her sport to report habitual abuse, and the first person to consistently demand accountability from her aggressors. She passionately called for reform throughout the sport and continues to share her story in hopes of informing others and creating an environment of accountability in other sports and communities.

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By sharing and expanding knowledge about violence prevention and trauma-informed practices, she hopes that cases like hers will no longer be a common occurrence. Through PAVE’s violence prevention education programming, Mandy and her team create a healthier conversation about properly reporting, handling, and healing from violent and traumatic events.