Melony assumed the role in December 2023 after retiring from a 22-year career as a Maryland state lawmaker. She was first elected in 1998 as a delegate representing District 25 in Prince George’s County. 

Melony, who has served as a licensed clinical social worker and hospital discharge planner, was elected to the state Senate in 2019 and chaired the powerful Senate Finance Committee in 2023 before resigning in October 2023 to join MHA. 

Melony held myriad pivotal roles during her time in the legislature, including President Pro Tempore, chair of the Budget and Taxation Committee’s Health & Human Services Subcommittee, and leader of the Senate President’s bipartisan Work Group on Equity and Inclusion. Her leadership extends to roles such as chair of the Special Joint Committee on Pensions. She served on the Joint Covid-19 Response Legislative Work Group, the House Emergency Medical Services Work Group, and the Council for the Procurement of Health, Educational, and Social Services among others.  

Beyond her legislative contributions, Melony served as the vice president for external and government affairs of the Greater Baden Medical Services, program director at the Prince George’s County Health Department, and deputy director for the Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council. She also served as project coordinator for the National Basketball Players Association Health Education Project at Johns Hopkins University. 

Melony has earned numerous accolades, including the Health Care for All Leadership Award, the Maryland Health Care for All Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Courageous Leadership Award, the Howard University Bison Breaking Barriers Award, and the Maryland Hospital Association Outstanding Legislator Award, among others. She is an honorary board member for the Open My Heart Foundation and a former board member of Non-Profit Prince George’s. 

An alum of Howard University with a Master of Social Work, Melony further honed her leadership skills through the Morehouse School of Medicine’s Satcher Health Leadership Institute Community Health Leadership Program. Melony also earned a Bachelor of Science in human services from Montana State University in Billings. 

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