Melissa Austin joined the Volcker Alliance in 2015. As chief operating officer, she leads human resources, finance, and technology initiatives and is responsible for designing and implementing operational systems and administrative procedures for the Alliance. Her passion for public administration and fifteen years of experience in the public sector allow her to further the Volcker Alliance’s mission to advance effective management of government.

Melissa previously served as a senior grants management specialist at the National Institutes of Health, where she negotiated, administered, reviewed, and awarded grants on complex and critical medical research projects. Before that, she was a senior management assistant to the business administrator of the City of Newark, New Jersey, leading and managing the legislative review team, coordinating park and open space redevelopment projects, and spearheading Newark’s federal and state lobbying efforts.

Melissa earned a bachelor of science in business administration and a master of public administration from the University of Delaware.