Melissa Unemori Hampe brings to Skog Rasmussen more than two decades of public, private, and nonprofit experience with entities across the U.S. She spent 11 years on Capitol Hill, starting with legislative and press work for the late Rep. Mink. She advised Senate offices on various issues related to the environment and minority affairs. She then had the privilege of working for the late Senator Daniel Akaka. As his Legislative Director, she led a legislative and press team in the development and implementation of the Senator’s legislative priorities.

Melissa gained experience at a national non-profit as Director of Government Relations at MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership. She joined a DC firm, McAllister & Quinn, with MENTOR as her first client. Melissa provided strategic external funding and government affairs analysis, advice, and advocacy services to a range of nonprofit, education, health care, local government, and tribal clients. These included helping generate and develop fundable project ideas and submit them in a way compelling to federal departments and foundations. She provided the genesis and implementation for the firm’s suite of federal and foundation grant services, helping to grow the grant writing network to more than 200 writers. She continued her work after moving back to Maui in 2016. 

Melissa serves on the boards of the National Asian American Action Fund and two Maui schools. Melissa earned her B.S. from Cornell University and M.B.A. from the Yale School of Management.