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Biography for publication

Senator Melissa Wintrow is the Senate Minority Leader in the Idaho Legislature. She is now in her 5th term representing Legislative District 19, second term in the Idaho Senate after completing three terms as a member of the Idaho House of Representatives. Senator Wintrow currently serves on the Health & Welfare, Judiciary & Rules and Transportation Committees. She serves on the Idaho Criminal Justice Commission and the Public Defense Commission, which has provided a strong foundation and understanding of criminal legal processes in our state. Working in the National Institute for Civil Discourse, she is a former co-chair for a national network of state legislators committed to leading with civility. Her legislation has focused on the criminal legal system and she has successfully passed legislation four years in a row to seek justice for victims of sexual assault by creating statewide standards to process and preserve evidence, addressing the backlog of rape kits on law enforcement shelves. Senator Wintrow worked in higher education for more than twenty-five years at six different universities in positions of leadership in living learning communities, housing and residence life, advising, instruction, curriculum design and as Women’s Center Director where she provided direct advocacy for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. She owns a consulting firm, SAGA Strategic Consulting, specializing in project management, team facilitation, and leadership development. Her decision to run for office was spurred on through involvement as a Program Manager for N.E.W. Leadership (National Education for Women), a program founded by Rutgers University to introduce women to politics and public policy to inspire them to run for office. To quote Teddy Roosevelt, after mentoring numerous students, especially women, it was time for her to “enter the arena.”