Melissa is a banker, commercial litigator, serial entrepreneur, senior executive,

board member and lifelong advocate for women and girls. She co-founded First

Women’s Bank in 2021, the only bank in the country with a strategic focus on the

women’s economy. The Bank’s mission is to close the gender lending gap,

empower women economically and elevate the women’s economy. Prior to

launching First Women’s Bank, Melissa practiced law at Jenner & Block and

Arthur Andersen LLP. She was also a founder and Managing Partner of Goldman

Ismail Tomaselli Brennan & Baum LLP, a trial and litigation boutique law firm

based in Chicago.

Melissa is deeply involved in impact, advocacy and community focused

organizations. She is a longtime board member and former board Chair of

Personal PAC, a leading Illinois PAC focused on advancing reproductive rights in

Illinois, as well as a founding board member of Project50, a federal PAC formed to

support reproductive rights in states across the country. She is on the Advisory

Board of Next View Global Water Technology Fund, L.P., a late-stage

venture/private equity firm focused exclusively on water and water-related

industries and Hypatia Capital Management. She served as a volunteer attorney

with the ACLU’s Judicial Bypass Coordination Project and as Vice Chair for

Domestic Affairs at the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish

Federation of Chicago. Currently, Melissa serves as a Trustee of the Jewish

Women’s Foundation and a member of the Chicago Club and the Economic Club

of Chicago.

Melissa is a graduate of Duke University and the University of Maryland School of Law.