Melanie A. Stansbury
DemocratU.S. Representative, NM-1| Age | 47 (b. 1979-01-31) |
| Gender | Female |
| In office since | 2021-06-14 (~5 yrs) |
| Education | B.A. in Human Ecology and Natural Science, Saint Mary's College of California (2002); M.S. in Development Sociology (minor in American Indian Studies), Cornell University (2007); PhD candidate at Cornell (not completed) |
| Prior occupation | Ecology instructor at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science; policy advisor/White House Fellow on the Council on Environmental Quality; program examiner at the Office of Management and Budget (Obama administration); staffer for the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources; consultant at the Utton Transboundary Resources Center |
| Military service | No |
| Birthplace | Farmington, New Mexico |
| Residence | Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| Notable relatives | Sister Willow Misty Parks served on the Bernalillo County Probate Court (New Mexico); mother Evelyn 'Sunny' Birklund (died 2023), father James Stansbury |
Pending research: race / ethnicity · religion · languages · marital status · children · openly lgbtq.
Career & politics
| First elected | 2018 |
| Previous offices | New Mexico House of Representatives, 28th district (2019-2021) |
| Committees | Committee on Natural Resources (Subcommittee on Federal Lands; Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries) · Committee on Oversight and Government Reform (Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency - Ranking Member) |
| Caucuses | Congressional Progressive Caucus · Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus · Democratic Women's Caucus · Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus · Rare Disease Caucus |
| Leadership | Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency (Oversight and Government Reform Committee), 119th Congress |
| Ideology | Member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus; FiveThirtyEight reported she voted in line with President Biden's stated position 100% of the time during the 117th Congress; 96% lifetime score on the League of Conservation Voters National Environmental Scorecard |
| Signature legislation | Water Data Act (water security legislation, passed House) · Rio Grande Water Security Act (passed House) · WaterSMART Access for Tribes Act (passed House) |
Financial
No holdings recorded yet (from official Financial Disclosure filings).
Scandals & crimes ledger
No recorded incidents. Under the adjudicated-only methodology, an entry appears only when a court or official body has formally acted and the record is cited.