Melissa Mahabir has been a social worker for close to 20 years. Her passion for working with individuals and families who have experienced violence began when she became an AmeriCorps member mentoring youth involved in the juvenile justice system. Melissa then spent five years in Miami, FL as a case manager and as special projects coordinator advocating for youth in foster care.

In New York City, Melissa was a domestic violence counselor/advocate at STEPS to End Family Violence where she worked closely with women involved in the criminal legal system, including facilitating groups at Rikers Island Jail, and as a forensic social worker at The Legal Aid Society. She is deeply committed to advocating on behalf of women in the criminal legal system, and her research on the impact of domestic violence on women’s criminal justice involvement has been published in The Journal of Interpersonal Violence and Social Work. Melissa holds a B.A. from The College of William and Mary and a Masters in Social Work from Columbia University.