Meet Melody

Mobley, a forester for 45 years, retired from the USDA Forest Service in 2005 and now lives in Arlington, Virginia, with her dogs and cat. Melody serves on the Forestry and Natural Resources Commission, the NAACP Environment and Climate Justice Committee, and is on the Board of Directors for EcoAction Arlington, a non-profit that helps restore and protect natural places. She spends most of her time in retirement volunteering in her local community by registering voters in underserved communities, teaching science and math in Arlington public schools, and serving as a DEI strategist for new and established organizations focused on enviromental and social justice. Melody is also the chair of the Arlington Public School Science Advisory Committee. Her USDA Forest Service uniform and tools were accepted into the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum of African American History and Culture permanent collections and her name is on the Wall of Honor in the National Museum of the American Indian.

Melody’s middle name, Starya, is derived from her Cherokee heritage meaning ‘Stay Strong.’