Joseline Peña-Melnyk is an American politician who represents District 21 in the Maryland House of Delegates.
Education
Born in the Dominican Republic, Joseline Peña (maiden name) attended John F. Kennedy High School (Bronx, New York) and graduated from Buffalo State College with a Bachelor of Surgery in Criminal Justice. She later attended the State University of New York at Buffalo, where she earned her Juris Doctor (Campaign website).
Career
After receiving her law degree, Delegate Peña-Melnyk pursued a successful legal career both as a defense attorney and as an Assistant United States Attorney prosecuting criminal cases. Delegate Peña-Melnyk served a two-term tenure on the College Park City Council before being elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 2006, and subsequently being reelected in 2010 and 2014. She sits on the Governor's Wellmobile Program Advisory Board and the Alzheimer"s Disease and Related Disorders Council, and previously chaired the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission Committee and co-chaired the Joint Committee on Behavioral Health Services.
During the 2008 democratic presidential campaign, Pena-Melnyk endorsed the candidacy of Barack Obama.
Membership
Delegate Peña-Melnyk is a member of the House Health and Government Operations Committee and its Government Operations and Public Health & Long-Term Care subcommittees. She is also a member of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland and the Women Legislators of Maryland.