Melanie Jamileh Prasad is a movement lawyer and policy strategist dedicated to advancing economic and racial justice. As General Counsel and Director of Policy at Jobs to Move America, she develops and implements legal and policy strategies that ensure public investments uplift workers and communities. Melanie is frequently called upon to provide technical assistance, draft transformative policy frameworks, and deliver legislative testimony at local, state, and federal levels.
Before joining JMA in 2020, Melanie served as a staff attorney at Legal Services of Central New York, where she advocated for low-income clients in housing, employment, and civil rights cases. She began her career as an organizer with the Working Families Party, where she worked alongside labor and community groups to advance economic and racial justice. She holds a J.D. from the University at Buffalo School of Law, where she focused on the intersection of law, policy, and social justice.
Proudly first-generation, born to Iranian and Indian immigrants, Melanie’s passion for justice is deeply rooted in her upbringing and early organizing experiences—starting in middle school when she led a student walkout in defense of a teacher. A Buffalonian at heart now based in Los Angeles, she remains steadfast in the fight to reshape our economy into one that truly works for all.