Melissa is a citizen of the Manitoba Métis Federation and a descendant of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. She also has settler lineages including German and English. Melissa grew up in Montana and loves spending time with her family, shooting her bow, traveling, reading, hunting, and hiking with her dog Koy, all of which shape her thinking, writing, research, teaching, and creativity.

Melissa is the 2026-2028 Charles Eastman Fellow in Native American and Indigenous Studies at Dartmouth College.

Her research highlights the experiences and knowledges of Native American lawmakers in Montana and explores how everyday, ongoing settler colonialism manifests structurally and practically in the Montana Legislature.