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Melissa Ramirez Kilmer grew up in Brooklyn, New York. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington in 1997, and her Juris Doctor degree from DePaul University College of Law in 2001. Melissa developed an expertise in family law as a civil litigator at the Maryland Legal Aid Bureau for 11 years and at Idaho Legal Aid Services for two years. Melissa also gained criminal litigation experience as assistant prosecutor at the Office of the State’s Attorney for Dorchester County, Maryland for two years. She is a member of the bar in Maryland (2001), Idaho (2019), and Coeur d’Alene Tribal Court (2021). For the past three years, Melissa has served as the Assistant Director of Academic Success and Bar Programs (ASP). In fall 2024, Melissa will serve as the Director of ASP and transition to a faculty position at Gonzaga Law as a Visiting Assistant Professor, teaching Contracts, Professional and Academic Foundations (ProFound), and Introduction to Lawyering Skills. She is also working on a law review article about teaching doctrinal courses geared towards preparing 51³Ô¹Ïs for the NextGen Bar exam.