Melissa’s first experience in the airline industry began in January 2001 when she was hired by Aloha Airlines.  Based in Honolulu, Melissa enjoyed visiting exotic South Pacific destinations as well as domestic locations.  Melissa became interested in serving her fellow Aloha Flight Attendants, and joined the AFA Grievance Committee in 2006.  She served as support to the Grievance Committee Chairperson which included contract research and participation in arbitration hearings. Sadly her career at Aloha ended abruptly with the unexpected closure of the company in 2008.

Shortly after Aloha’s demise, Melissa was fortunate enough to be hired by Virgin America in 2008.  She and her children moved to San Francisco to help this great new company become an airline people loved.  In addition to her flying duties, she served in a variety of roles to include Inflight Instructor, Red Carpet Facilitator, Refresh Design Team, Inflight Team Leader and Air Transportation Supervisor.

In 2017 Melissa was appointed as the first AFA Local Council President for Virgin America Flight Attendants due to the merger with Alaska Airlines.  Shortly after, she was elected as Transitional Local Council President representing San Francisco and Los Angeles, and worked hard to bring Legacy Virgin America Flight Attendants up to the standards that their Alaska counterparts enjoyed. Melissa was re-elected in 2018 to represent San Francisco-based Flight Attendants and looks forward to continue the work of bringing improvements to the Flight Attendant work group as the merger with Alaska progresses.

In addition to her experience in the airline industry, she has served as a public school teacher in Hawaii, California and Arizona.

Melissa has been living in Phoenix since 2012 and spends free time with her three children, the family dog Maggie and cat Mochi.  She enjoys gardening, cooking, kayaking and working on home improvement projects.