Mimi is an assistant professor of public policy at the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at the University at Albany, SUNY. Prior to this position, she was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Annenberg Institute at Brown University. She holds a PhD in Education Policy and Social Analysis from Teachers College, Columbia University and a BA in Political Science from Rice University. She also taught middle school and was an instructional coach in Houston, Texas.

Currently, Mimi lives in Albany, NY with her husband and two children. In her spare time, she enjoys reading fiction, cooking biscuits (and other things), and running outdoors. Though her legal name is Melissa, friends, family, and colleagues have called her Mimi since her earliest days.