Melina Kiper

Affiliation

UnidosUS

Biography

Melina Kiper is the Senior Strategist for Education Policy at UnidosUS, where she is responsible for shaping and executing efforts to advance UnidosUS’s state education policy agenda in Arizona, California, Florida, and Texas. She also focuses on the impact of federal policy on states, including assessments and ESSER funding. Before joining UnidosUS, Melina served as the Advocacy Manager at America Forward, where she leveraged policy and advocacy to break down barriers between all people and opportunities in America. Melina served in several leadership roles at City Year, including Director of State Engagement and Policy and Education Strategy and Policy Manager. She previously worked at the Education Trust and at the U.S. Department of Education, where she served as Special Assistant to the U.S. Secretary of Education, John B. King. Before becoming a citizen, Melina worked in political campaigns supporting candidates and causes that sought to address the country’s most pressing challenges, including as the Northeast Deputy Regional Political Director of the Democratic National Committee and the Deputy Operations Director for a state-wide campaign. Melina received a B.A. in Political Science from CUNY Hunter College. A native of Brazil, she moved to the United States in 1999 with her family.