Melissa Henry joined the office in February 2024 and is serving as Legal Counsel and Dispute Resolution Specialist.  Prior to joining the Ombudsman’s office, Melissa spent most of her nearly 25-year career in state and federal government including the U.S. Senate, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, and the Arizona Department of Economic Security.  Melissa also was a leader of the government relations team for a national non-profit organization and spent time in private practice as a family lawyer.

Melissa earned an LLM in Dispute Resolution from the Straus Institute of Dispute Resolution at the Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law.  Melissa earned her JD from the George Washington University Law School and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biological Sciences from Cornell University.  She also holds an Associate of Science in Le Cordon Bleu Patisserie and Baking from Scottsdale Culinary Institute.  Melissa completed the New Ombudsman Training offered by the United States Ombudsman Association (USOA) and is also certified as an Investigator/Inspector by the Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation (CLEAR)