Maria Melendez

Maria Melendez is Mattress Firm’s Executive Vice President of Human Capital. She joined the company in 2023 and is responsible for overseeing and evolving Mattress Firm’s Human Resources operations. Her areas of responsibility include succession planning, talent management, change management, organizational effectiveness, performance management, benefits and compensation.

Proficient in Portuguese, fluent in Spanish and English and a born Venezuelan, Melendez has a history of developing and implementing Human Resource strategies that accelerate business results and drive cultural change. Prior to joining Mattress Firm, she spent more than 17 years at Bridgestone Americas where she held various leadership positions including Director of HR for Latin America Tires Division, Executive Director of Human Resources Retail Operations and then later VP of Human Resources for Retail, Sales, and Marketing. Most recently, she was responsible for defining and executing the overall HR strategy for all of the Bridgestone Americas retail and tire sales businesses throughout North America and Latin America.

Melendez currently serves as an Advisory Board Member of Impact100 Nashville. She has a master’s degree in Human Resources and Labor Relations, and a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Relations from the University of Carabobo in Valencia.