Melissa Bender Email & Phone Number

Washington, District Of Columbia, United States

- Secured $15 billion in House Build Back Better bill to expand service & create Civilian Climate Corps- Liaised with White House Domestic Policy Council on service year policy, contributing to President Biden issuing call to service and proposing an increase in AmeriCorps members’ living stipend to $15/hour- Provide guidance to Moore-Miller campaign and gubernatorial administration to expand service year programs in Maryland building off of existing infrastructure and learning from other states' prior experience- Submitted public comments to advance regulatory changes at AmeriCorps, U.S. Dept. of Education, and U.S. Department of Energy - Led efforts to increase state appropriations for service year opportunities in California, New Hampshire, and Washington state- Spearheaded & managed nationwide, cross-sector advocacy coalition to expand climate national service, the Partnership for the Civilian Climate Corps- Drafted equity agenda for national service, outlining policy levers to make service more accessible to young people of all backgrounds- Facilitated webinar with U.S. Dept. of Ed to help service alumni access Public Service Loan Forgiveness- Managed federal and state lobbyists to execute advocacy days and build strategic relationships with members of Congress and CA state legislators

Annapolis, Maryland, United States

- Advised former Chair Pendergrass and supported the House of Delegates’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic including oversight of and coordination with the MD Department of Health- Supported Chair, Vice Chair and Subcommittee Chairs in defending bills on the House floor- Managed committee operations during the transition to virtual bill hearings

Annapolis, Md

- Advised Delegate on legislative matters and advanced progressive policy agenda focusing on police reform, educational equity, and public transit, coordinating with advocates and elected officials- Passed bills to support local labor rights and collective bargaining, expanded public transit access and dedicated resources for the Southern MD Rapid Transit project, and preventing wrongful conviction in partnership with Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Will Smith, among others.- Assembled coalition, drafted, testified for legislation to address college hunger and basic needs, which passed in the 2021 session.- Composed strategic policy memos, talking points & testimony for the Delegate- Pitched and placed stories in national, state and local press; prepped Delegate for interviews- Directed local organizing/oversight efforts regarding school discipline reform, gathering state and local education policy stakeholders to oppose inequitable school board budget decisions- Pitched, organized and executed a children’s book giveaway during COVID which served several thousand constituents over 12 separate events, integrated with existing CCPS summer meals program- Provided input on federal COVID relief legislation related to community college staff retention- Managed strategic communications efforts and constituent support services, overseeing workflow of three staff/interns and copy-editing newsletters, correspondence and social media content

- Successfully flipped a 16-year Republican incumbent seat in a diverse, multilingual district- Hired, trained and supervised 39 paid canvass team members for persuasion & mobilization phases, including canvass efforts in four languages- Recruited & launched volunteers for canvassing shifts at 100+ person Days of Action; used VAN

Greater New York City Area

- Conducted national survey on first year student success programming at community colleges- Analyzed survey results using STATA, conducted literature review + interviews, drafted report findings - Wrote policy memos and blogs on state-level higher education policy, governance and finance issues

- Crafted evidence-based pre-K to college education policy platform with innovative revenue proposals- Drafted and edited op-eds, social media and web content covering education policy proposals - Managed a team of two interns to conduct opposition research and collect press clips

Oakland, Ca

- Evaluated OUSD’s district- and community partner-led literacy intervention programs, culminating in presentation to Chief Academic Officer, OUSD Literacy team, & Oakland Literacy Collaborative - Designed research methodology and collected data from OUSD, community partner organizations

Washington, Dc

- Managed curriculum-based literacy tutoring program supporting 62 students at a DCPS Title I school - Trained 100+ volunteer tutors on program curriculum and provided on-going coaching- Briefed local elected officials and major funders on program model and results

Washington, Dc

- Trained 150+ overseas federal agency communications officers on traditional/digital media skills- Supported on-camera interview training for USAID principals (hot seat & press conference style)- Provided research assistance, data cleaning and analysis, and report drafting for Congressionally-mandated evaluation on international food assistance

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Master Of Public Policy (Mpp), Education Policy Analysis

Activities and Societies: Harvard Kennedy School Student Government, Harvard Square to the Oval Office Leadership Program, New Politics.

B.A., Political Science, Russian Studies (Double Major)

Activities and Societies: Phi Beta Kappa, University DemocratsThesis on comparative public health policy in UK vs. US post Affordable Care.