Born in D.C. and raised in Strasburg, Virginia, Melissa received a degree in Criminal Justice, with a concentration in Social Work, from Radford University. Returning to Shenandoah County to start her career with the Department of Social Services, she continued later in Montgomery County, VA as an Adult Probation and Parole Officer in Virginia’s 27th Judicial Circuit.  Melissa retired in 1986 to start a family with her husband, Richard (Dick) M. Moore II, a New Market native and VMI alumnus.

Raising their daughter, Chelsea (currently Clinical Director at Acorn Health), and their son, Nicholas who currently resides with Melissa and Dick in Northern Virginia, the couple has been spending more and more time at their river home in the Deer Rapids since Dick’s retirement in 2015.

Melissa has become an activist for children and is frequently involved in raising funds to support classrooms and to provide access to teaching materials and training for special education of children with autism. More recently, she has taken up similar advocacy roles for adults with intellectual disabilities. When not working with the community, Melissa enjoys her equine farm, Potomac Acres, in Loudon County, as well as traveling and antiquing.