Melissa heads the overall organizational management, direction, and decision-making of Blue Planet’s work to champion scalable policies and programs that transform Hawaii’s energy systems to clean energy solutions. She received a law degree and a certificate in Environmental Law from the William S. Richardson School of Law and a B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Denver. Melissa was born in Colorado, spent her teenage years in Peru, and has lived in Hawai‘i since 2005. In 2020, Melissa was selected by Hawai‘i Business Magazine as one of “20 for the Next 20” People to Watch in Hawai‘i. In 2016, she was selected as one of the Pacific Business News “40 Under 40” young professional leaders. She is a board member of Volunteer Legal Services Hawai‘i (VLSH) and Women in Renewable Energy (WiRE).
Before Blue Planet
Prior to joining Blue Planet, Melissa worked as a legal fellow assisting state agencies in Hawai‘i with invasive species law and policy, rulemaking, and inter-agency coordination. She has authored papers on climate justice and taught persuasive writing and legislative advocacy at Hawai‘i’s law school. Melissa also worked as a litigator in private practice and completed a clerkship at the Hawai‘i Intermediate Court of Appeals. Before attending law school, Melissa worked as an environmental scientist for a Hawai‘i-based consulting company, managing multi-party environmental projects.
Did You Know?
When she’s not working to solve climate change, Melissa is either painting, planning her next trip to Comic Con, or eating ramen.