Her legal career began as a criminal prosecutor in Special Victims Units and later focused on combating child sex trafficking at home and abroad. In Hawaii, she was an Analyst / Special Prosecutor for the Hawaii Internet Crimes Against Children Unit in the Hawaii Attorney General’s Office and a Legislative Attorney for the Hawaii State Legislature Judiciary Chair. She is also a General Partner of R & R Elite Investments, LLP, established for real estate investment purposes.

She served on Hawaii’s Ho’Ola Na Pua executive board of directors for six years and currently serves on Arizona’s Common Sense Media advisory board and Washington DC’s CGO Foundation advisory board as Vice Chair. She is a USAF senior leader spouse and an invited speaker at command conferences, leadership symposiums and podcasts worldwide. Melissa was featured in Pacific Edge Women in Business as the first licensed Hawaii attorney under the military spouse reciprocity rule and for her dedication to victim advocacy. 

Melissa channels her 25+ years of experience into advocating for entrepreneurs with a vision for bettering our community and our world. This means turning an idea into a reality with strategic planning, business formations, legislation/lobbying and litigation, if need be. Her motto is “Live intentionally, advocate zealously, and affect meaningful change.”