About Us

Melissa Burke-Ferrer is a CEO who leads with passion and purpose, inspiring others with her unwavering commitment to empowering single women and celebrating the arts. Her entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to making a positive impact create a serene atmosphere that sets Ellevate Her apart. Melissa’s love for art will take center stage as she teams up with acclaimed photographer Robert Farber to curate a new exhibit in the picturesque city of Florence.

As a single mother and breast cancer survivor, Brooke S. Ferrer has harbored a longstanding vision of creating a community for and by women to help them heal. In the face of numerous challenges, she discovered a profound calling to illuminate the path of healing, with a special focus on wellness and the arts.

The driving force behind this vision was none other than her daughter, Melissa. Their unbreakable bond and close collaborative efforts inspired Brooke to create a sanctuary where women like her and her beloved daughter could heal, grow, and discover a sense of community.

Dennis Clark, an Atlanta native, has embarked on an extraordinary journey of resilience and self-discovery. As a widowed single mother, she raised her daughter amid personal setbacks and professional challenges, overcoming adversities with grace and determination. Upon her daughter’s move to New York for college in 2004, Dennis decided to fulfill her lifelong dream of relocating to Florence, Italy, a year later.

At 50 years old and living abroad, Dennis realized that self-worth is the cornerstone of transformation. She has established a successful Pilates studio in Florence, authored fitness books, and recently ventured into evolutionary astrology.

Dennis teaches others to explore their essence holistically, intertwining astrology with personal development through her role at Ellevate Her. Her mission is to instill self-awareness, confidence, and creativity, guiding single women to honor their unique journey and align with the cosmic energies that surround them.

Niki is a vibrant, colorful soul with a rich international upbringing that has shaped her unique
worldview. Driven by a passion for social change, she masterfully weaves together strategic
communication and the power of storytelling. With formal education in the arts, media, and
curatorial studies, Niki has made it her mission to harness creativity as a force for transformation—
what some call “Artivism.” Known for her magnetic presence, she has a gift for bringing people
together, uniting them under a shared vision of change. A true connector, Niki believes in the power of communication to uplift marginalized voices and bridge gaps between communities and the media. Through her work, she is committed to fostering a more just and equitable world, where
every story is heard, and every person has a platform.

Myra Fiori is a visual storyteller that records the forged achievers, the accomplished forgotten and the under or misrepresented through art. Myra brings creativity and artistry as well as past experiences in global marketing and communications to Ellevate’s vision. Her current photography based collage projects include A Decorated Woman, a carefully curated line-up of accomplished, complex and persevering women who shattered myths, boundaries, societal norms and gender roles and Love Notes, words that challenge thought, educate, inspire, empower and amuse. She produced Inspiring Creativity, a film that explores the commonalities behind our creative processes in art, architecture and design. Myra believes creativity is the key to life in health and happiness. Her biggest hope in every endeavor is to inspire others to dream, to believe they can be and do anything they choose.

Scott Drago is a member of the Business Tax Advisory group, advising clients on a broad range of real estate and transactional tax matters, including structuring joint ventures between public REITs and investors in Canada, Asia, the Middle East and the European Union. Mr. Drago advises public REITs on a variety of tax issues involving acquisitions and dispositions, such as UPREIT structures and corporate, partnership and limited liability company structuring and restructuring.

Mr. Drago works closely with clients and their outside advisors to achieve the desired business and tax objectives for a specific transaction. Together with FTIConsulting’sreal estate advisory and financial modeling teams, Mr. Drago provides detailed analysis of the tax impact to REITs and investors under various structure alternatives and investment time-lines.

Mr. Drago coordinates with clients’ legal advisors in reviewing agreements to ensure the business, legal and tax objectives are aligned. In addition, he advises FTIConsulting’scompliance group on issues involving REIT income and asset testing, structuring debt investments (mortgage and mezzanine debt originations and participations), capital gain, dividend, net operating loss and prohibited transaction analysis, taxable REIT subsidiary structures and equity-based executive compensation.
Prior to joining FTI Consulting, Mr. Drago practiced tax law for more than 20 years and was a Senior Tax Partner at a nationally recognized law firm.