Michael Melendez and his wife Braulia have lived in Brookfield for last 12 years with their four kids. Mike was elected to the District 102 school board in 2017 and again in 2021. In March 2020, he was selected by his fellow board members to serve as board president and continued in that role until April 2023. During his time as board president, Mike helped lead the process for the selection of a new superintendent and oversaw the doubling of the district’s reserve funds. Mike is in his final year of his term and currently serves as a liaison to the district’s Financial Advisory Committee.

Mike has practiced law for nearly 19 years and has spent the last 13 years as an attorney for the University of Illinois System. He is the manager of the university’s Chicago legal office and as the chief legal counsel for UIC, Mike is responsible for the delivery of legal services to the campus, including its expansive healthcare enterprise. Mike is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and an active member of the National Association of College and University Attorneys. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the University of Chicago and his law degree from the University of Iowa College of Law.

Mike serves on the Brookfield Little League board of directors as the Vice President of Softball Operations and volunteers as a baseball and softball manager. He also coaches recreational youth soccer and basketball teams in addition to managing a travel softball team.