Melina Barona (she/her) is a Chicago-based performer, and a founding member of Las Tinas, an all-Latinx improv group. Las Tinas performs improvised telenovelas, and has performed at The Second City, The Laugh Factory, The Annoyance, The Comedy Clubhouse, and other comedy venues. Melina began her career in broadcast journalism, working with Frontline News in London and an ABC affiliate in the US. During the early years of her career, she was based in the Czech Republic and Ukraine. Melina has held leadership roles at Northwestern University, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and on KPMG’s national diversity recruiting team. She is a Certified Professional in Human Resources (PHR), holds an M.Ed. from Vanderbilt University, a certificate in HR from Northwestern University, and is a Fulbright Scholar. She is also a graduate of The Second City Conservatory Program. Originally from Medellin, Colombia, Melina grew up in the rural Midwest. For the past 14 years, she has made the Rogers Park neighborhood in Chicago her home.