Melinda Katz was born and raised in Forest Hills, and is a product of our public school system. She has been a public servant for over 20 years.

After graduating with honors from the University of Massachusetts, Melinda attended St. John’s School of Law. Upon earning her law degree, Melinda interned for future US Attorney General Michael Mukasey in the Southern District of NY, the Legal Aid Society, and the US Attorney’s office in SDNY.

Melinda then went on to serve in the Assembly, where she wrote and passed crucial legislation to protect the most vulnerable in our community. Her efforts resulted in laws that extended the Statute of Limitations for sexual abuse of a child, provided women direct access to gynecologists, and made certain classes of child endangerment a felony. She also co-sponsored bills to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and to establish and strengthen anti-hate crime laws.

As a member of the New York City Council, Melinda served as Chair of the influential Land Use Committee, using her legal background and community ties to steward major projects that helped pull NYC out of the 2001 recession.

Melinda has extensive experience in private practice, working as an associate for Weil Gotshal and as a shareholder of Greenberg Traurig, a position she held until her election as the 19th Borough President of Queens.

In her current role as Queens Borough President, Melinda is working to seal certain misdemeanor and non-violent felony convictions and grant warrant forgiveness to promote second chances in the communities most affected by mass incarceration.

Melinda is raising her two children, Carter and Hunter, in the same Forest Hills home that she grew up in.