Melissa McKinlay graduated in the class of 1989.  During her high school years, Melissa was in the Kiltie Band.  Leadership skills were being developed with involvement in Student Council and on her class boards.  She was the President of her Junior Class.  She enjoyed being a baseball statistician in the spring of the year.  After high school graduation, Melissa attended Florida State University and had dual Majors in Political Science and Sociology and minors in both Economics and Mathematics.

     Melissa spent nearly twenty years working at all levels of government including the office of US Senator Bill Nelson, the U.S. House & Florida House of Representatives, the Florida Department of Community Affairs and Sarasota County.  She was elected to the Palm Beach Board of County Commissioners in 2014.  She served as Mayor in 2017/2018 and then was reelected as a Commissioner without opposition. 

Commissioner McKinlay has spent a great deal of her time volunteering for such organizations as the Junior Leagues of Florida where she served as State Chairwoman. Just to mention a few other organizations on which she has served are ChildNet, Homeless Coalition of Palm Beach County, Voices for Children of Palm Beach County and the Village of Wellington Education Advisory Committee. 

Commissioner McKinlay has always advocated on behalf of woman, children, and families. She has said that her proudest accomplishments have been being a part of the team that developed the Butterfly House, Palm Beach County’s first sexual assault response medical services center; part of the team that developed Palm Beach County’s first Addiction Stabilization Unity at JFK North Hospital and helping to pass a successful piece of legislation aimed at eliminating human trafficking.

Commissioner McKinlay completed Leadership Florida Cornerstone Class 37 and  the prestigious Governing Magazine’s Women in Government Leadership Institute, an annual program for the nation’s top 25 State and Local Elected Women. She was also appointed to Leadership Florida’s Special Committee on Racial Equality.

            With all of these accomplishments, the Riverview Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame is recognizing Commissioner McKinlay, as an alumna who exemplifies the values, traditions and successes of Riverview High School.