Melanie Ross Levin

Melanie Ross Levin

Degree: 2005, B.A. and MPA

Job Title: State Representative for Delaware’s 10th District

Melanie Ross Levin is honored to serve as the State Representative for Delaware’s 10th District. A lifelong advocate for equity and justice, she has dedicated her career to making Delaware a better place for women, families, and communities.

Previously, as the Director of Delaware’s Office of Women’s Advancement and Advocacy, Melanie played a pivotal role in landmark policy achievements across the state. Her leadership helped secure Paid Family and Medical Leave, establish the nation’s best paid parental leave benefit for state workers, raise the minimum wage, enact the first child marriage ban in the United States, advance the Equal Rights Amendment, expand Medicaid coverage for pregnant women, protect pregnant workers, and ensure access to menstrual hygiene products in schools and prisons.

Beyond legislation, Melanie has led initiatives that foster a more inclusive Delaware. Under her leadership, the state added 17 lactation rooms and 50 changing tables, implemented the first LGBTQ action plan for state employees, and hosted the largest Delaware women’s art exhibit featuring 170 portraits. Since 2017, she and her team have trained over 700 women in salary negotiation. Most recently, alongside her daughter Elliana, she is spearheading the effort to build Delaware’s first educational Holocaust memorial in Dover.

Before serving in state government, Melanie was the Director of Engagement and Mobilization at the National Women’s Law Center, where she led advocacy campaigns to protect Social Security, advance pay equity, safeguard Title IX athletics, and expand early childhood education. She also spearheaded the national coalition field effort to pass the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the first bill President Barack Obama signed into law.

Melanie began her career as a Legislative Fellow in the Delaware General Assembly and a Grassroots Organizer for Planned Parenthood of Delaware. She holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and Women’s Studies from the University of Delaware. She serves on the Board of Directors for the University of Delaware Hillel and is an active member of Congregation Beth Emeth.

Melanie lives in North Wilmington with her husband, two daughters, and their rescue dog.