Melissa graduated from the University of Florida in 1993 and is a member of the Florida Blue Key Leadership Honorary. She has worked in the insurance industry for over 20 years and has owned and operated a State Farm Insurance Agency in eastern Hillsborough County since 2001.

Melissa enjoys being involved in her community and has served many local organizations. She is a member of the Junior League of Tampa and has served on the boards for The Brandon Community Roundtable, the Brandon Outreach Medical Clinic and currently serves on the board for Brandon Regional Hospital and the Glazer Children’s Museum. She is a member of the PTA and volunteers weekly for the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) as Cub Scout Leader. Melissa is also a graduate and instructor of BSA Wood Badge Scout advanced leadership training, serves on the Greater Tampa Bay Area BSA Board of Directors, and was recently honored with the prestigious Silver Beaver Award. She is a Charter Life Member of the UF Alumni Association and Past President of the Tampa Gator Club. She was also recognized by the West Central Florida Girls Scouts as a 2016 “Woman of Distinction” for her community service.

Professionally, Melissa is very active in the business community. She has served as the Chairman of the Board for the Brandon Chamber of Commerce and is a graduate of Leadership Brandon. She was the recipient of the Women-Owned Small Business of the Year Award and was awarded the 2015 Greater Brandon Community Leadership Award. Melissa is Past President of the Tampa Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA-Tampa) and was awarded the Distinguished Service Award. She currently serves on the NAIFA-Florida Political Committee as Vice-Chair.

Melissa is a graduate of the Tampa Bay Public Leadership Institute and was elected to the Hillsborough County School Board (District 4) in November 2014 and re-elected in 2018. She is one of seven (7) board members responsible for making policy decisions and overseeing a total budget of $3 billion for the 8th largest school district in the U.S. and the county’s largest employer. She serves on the Hillsborough County Council of Governments, the Central Florida School Board Coalition, and is a member of the Florida School Board Association, where she has earned her Certified Board Member designation.

Melissa has been married to David since 1999, who is also a UF graduate and works in her State Farm agency. They have four children, Robert (18), William (15) and Sara (12), and David, Jr. (10). In her spare time she enjoys traveling, camping, golf, reading, and attending Gator football games.