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. Melissa received her BA in political science from Rice University and her M.Phil and Ph.D. in politics and education from Columbia University. Prior to graduate school, she was a teacher and instructional coach in Houston, Texas.

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