Leading with Vision, Serving with Heart
Melanie Stansbury is a proud New Mexican who has spent her career working to protect our lands and waters and address the critical issues facing our communities. As someone who grew up in a working family in Albuquerque, Melanie knows what it means to struggle to make ends meet and knows the urgency of bringing real solutions to help our families.
Serving in the New Mexico House of Representatives (2019-2021), Melanie was a leader in tackling the pandemic, food and hunger issues, climate change, growing our economy and meaningful jobs, rebuilding our infrastructure, and protecting our natural resources. As our Congresswoman, Melanie took that fight to Washington D.C. in 2021 because the stakes are high and New Mexico needs a leader who will fight for our communities and the issues that matter most.
Grit. Resilience. Determination. And, Heart.
Having grown up in Albuquerque, I share many of the same stories and struggles as so many New Mexican families and have dedicated my career to helping build a brighter future. Like all families that struggle - grit, determination and resilience helped my family get by, but it was the care and support – the heart – of our community that helped us thrive.
Food, water, shelter, and a meaningful job are the basics of a dignified life. Yet for too many in our community, these fundamentals are out of reach. Like so many families, ours was touched by housing and food insecurity, lack of health care, tragic losses, and many of the experiences that come with the struggle to get by. For me, this struggle is personal and has inspired my life’s work in community building, economic development, hunger and homelessness, and water security issues.
But, New Mexico is defined not only by our grit and our struggles — it is defined by our resilience and determination. Cultures and languages that have been carried forward for generations and that stretch back over centuries and millennia. Landscapes shaped by wind, water, and sun. Rivers that flow from sacred mountains to desert plains. Our food. Our art. Our ways of life. And the wisdom, creativity, and determination of our people. That is who we are.
As a policy maker and science professional, I have spent my career working to help build a more just, sustainable, and resilient future. This work is not just what I do, it is who I am.
I earned a Bachelor’s of Arts in Human Ecology and Natural Science from Saint Mary's College of California and a Master of Science in Development Sociology (with a minor in American Indian Studies) from Cornell University.
Early in my career, I worked as a science educator in schools across the state through the Museum of Natural History. Later, I worked as a researcher and advisor on land and water issues, focused on New Mexico’s water needs and the resilience of our rivers. I later took this work to Washington D.C., where I worked in the Office of Management and Budget and the U.S. Senate in the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Upon returning home, I was asked to run for office. Like so many women who answered the call in 2018, I stepped up to run for a State House seat that many thought could never be won. But, we organized and mobilized -- and together not only flipped the seat, but elected the first woman to represent the district -- me.
Since taking office in 2019, I have rolled up my sleeves and gotten to work, both in the New Mexico legislature and in Washington. I have focused on addressing childhood hunger, modernizing our electric grid, fostering resilience in our water and food systems, improving education, expanding economic opportunity and public safety, improving access to healthcare, and using sound science in decision-making.
As your Congresswoman of New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District, I continually put this lifetime of experiences to work for our people. Addressing food and housing insecurity, fighting for universal access to healthcare, building and diversifying our economy, protecting our sacred lands and waters, lifting up the voices of New Mexicans, and tackling global climate change. This is my charge. And, together, I know that with our grit, resilience, determination, and heart -- we can get the job done. Because we are New Mexicans and that is what we do.
Melanie’s Story
Grit. Resilience. Determination. And, Heart.
This is New Mexico. And this is our story.
Born and raised in New Mexico, I learned these values growing up in a working family in the North Valley and West Side of Albuquerque. Like so many in our community, our family worked hard to make ends meet and gave back to help support our community.
My mother worked as a seamstress and heavy equipment operator, while our extended family owned a mom-and-pop landscaping and irrigation business where I worked growing up. I grew up helping sew garments, operating equipment and digging trenches and bussing tables nights and weekends.
After years of work on land, water, and community issues in New Mexico, I went to Washington D.C., where I worked with the U.S. Senate and Executive Office of the President to work on these issues at the national level. After being the first woman elected as State House Representative to New Mexico House District 28, I was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2021.
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives write and vote on federal laws, including the federal budget. Each represents one district and serves a two-year term. Tax bills must start in the House, only the House can impeach federal officials, and members oversee federal agencies through their committees.