Mel Brittner Wells

Mel Brittner Wells is a writer, surfer and the founder of Beefcake Swimwear. She spent two years prototyping swimsuits before launching a Kickstarter campaign in March of 2017 that hit over 300% of its goal, becoming one of the highest-funded swimwear campaigns on the site.
Brittner Wells sharpened her entrepreneurial project management skills during eight years at the nonprofit Literary Arts in Portland, Oregon, wearing several hats while the org tripled in size and income. She also had writing published in Nailed Magazine, Electric Literature, Salamander, Boneshaker, and the anthologies Untangling the Knot, Spent, and Empty the Pews. She has received multiple grants from the Regional Arts and Culture Council in Portland, Oregon as well as a Raveel Grant from Dickinson House in Belgium.

In 2018, Brittner Wells and Beefcake HQ moved to Missoula, Montana. She now works at the Baucus Institute at the University of Montana, another entrepreneurial and quickly growing organization.