13 things about New Mexico politician Melanie Stansbury

Melanie Ann Stansbury is an American politician from New Mexico, United States. She was born in Farmington, San Juan County, New Mexico to James Stansbury and Evelyn “Sunny” Birklund‘s daughter.

BIOGRAPHY

Melanie is a Democrat. Here are 13 more things about her:

1. She grew up in Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, New Mexico.
2. In 1997, she graduated from Cibola High School in Albuquerque.
3. In 2002, she earned her bachelor’s degree in human ecology and natural science from St. Mary’s College of California.
4. From 2002 to 2004, she was a field instructor at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science in Albuquerque.
5. From 2004 to 2010, she worked in research and instruction at Cornell University in Ithaca, Tompkins County, New York, USA.
6. In 2007, she earned her master’s degree in sociology with a minor in American Indian studies from Cornell University where she was a Ph.D. candidate.
7. Her sister Willow Misty Parks was elected to the Bernalillo County Probate Court in New Mexico on November 2, 2010 and reelected on November 4, 2014 but did not seek reelection after the term expired on December 31, 2018.
8. From 2010 to 2011, she was a White House Fellow working as a policy advisor on the Council on Environmental Quality in Washington, D.C., USA.
9. In 2011, she was a Sandia National Laboratories and Utton Transboundary Resources Center consultant.
10. From November 2011 to May 2015, she was a White House Office of Management and Budget program examiner.
11. From May 2015 to August 2017, she was a U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources professional staff.
12. In September 2017, she became a policy consultant on water, natural resources and community and development issues working with research, nonprofit and philanthropic organizations in Albuquerque.
13. On January 31, 2025, she turned 46.

TIMELINE

2019

• On January 15, 2019, she assumed office as a member of the New Mexico House of Representatives representing the 28th district.

2020

• On November 3, 2020, she defeated Thomas Ray Stull and Robert Vaillancourt in the general election for the New Mexico House of Representatives representing the 28th district.

2021

• On June 14, 2021, she assumed office as a member of the U.S. House of Representative from New Mexico’s first district.
• On October 20, 2021, she spoke during a rally outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC., USA to highlight the efforts of Congressional Democrats to legislate against climate change.

2022

• On March 1, 2022, she spoke during the Past Due: People’s State of the Union watch event on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. 
• On August 12, 2022, she voted to pass the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.

2023

• On May 25, 2023, she spoke during a news conference with members of the House Democratic Women’s Caucus outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
• On October 9, 2023, her mother died at age 74.
• On December 13, 2023, she spoke during a press conference in Washington, D.C. held to address Republicans’ decision to prioritize the impeachment of 46th U.S. president Joe Biden over major domestic issues in the U.S.

2024

• On March 5, 2024, she attended the Foo Fighters concert that advocated for healthcare price transparency at The Anthem in Washington, D.C.
• On September 24, 2024, she spoke  during a news conference to call for passage of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Reauthorization Act in the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C.
• On October 3, 2024, she spoke during a news conference on Project 2025 at Casa de Bueno in Albuquerque.

2025

• On February 16, 2025, she spoke with Marjorie Taylor Greene during the House Oversight and Govenment Reform Committee Delivering on Government Efficiency Subcommittee’s first hearing in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC.
• On February 26, 2025, she spoke during a hearing of the House Oversight Subcommittee in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC.
• On March 4, 2025, she held a sign reading “This is not normal” at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. where Donald Trump addressed the U.S. Congress on his early achievements as the 47th U.S. president.