Yolanda Melville

Yolanda N. Melville serves as Senior Counsel and Director of Community Engagement, the position charged with serving as a liaison to stakeholders across the state to connect them with the Office’s initiatives. Melville was previously a Partner at Cooper Levenson, P.A., where she represented municipal and corporate entities as solicitor/general counsel, handled litigation in the federal and state courts, and led the firm’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

Melville clerked for the Honorable Susan F. Maven in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division. She received her B.A. in English and Government from the College of William and Mary, M.S. in Criminal Justice from Virginia Commonwealth University and J.D. from Howard University Law School, where she was the managing editor of the Human Rights and Globalization Law Review.

Professional Associations and Memberships

Yolanda has many credentials and association affiliations:

• Admitted to practice in New Jersey
• Admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey
• Admitted to practice in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
• Admitted to practice in the U.S. Supreme Court
• Member, Atlantic County Bar Association
• Member, Young Lawyers' Division, Atlantic County Bar Association
• Member, Camden County Bar Association
• Member, New Jersey State Bar Association
• Member, SoPro, AC
• Member, AtlantiCare Young Professionals
• Member, New Jersey Builders Association
• Member, International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
• Member, New Jersey Apartment Association (NJAA)
• Member, Greater Atlantic City Chamber

Awards and Honors

Yolanda has been honored with many awards for her work:

• Top 40 Under 40 Honoree 2018, AC Weekly & Atlantic City Jaycees
• Black Girls Rock (Jersey Style) Award, In My CARE Mentoring Program
• Resolution of Recognition, City Council of the City of Atlantic City
• Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. "Champion for Justice" Honoree, 2019 New Jersey State Governor's Jefferson Awards

Community Involvement

Yolanda is very active in the community:

• President, NAACP NextGen Alumni Leadership Council
• Appointed by Chairman Leon W. Russell to the Legal Committee of the NAACP National Board of Directors
• Panelist, 108th NAACP Annual Convention’s Continuing Legal Education Program
• Board Member, Atlantic County Coalition for a Safe Community

Education

Yolanda attended The College of William and Mary where she graduated in 2007 with a dual degree in English and Government. Yolanda also earned a Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2011. She received her Juris Doctor degree from Howard University School of Law in 2012.