Melissa Palepu

Melissa Palepu is an Attorney Specialist in Human Trafficking and Child Abuse, with the Michigan Department of Attorney General and is the Chair of the Michigan Human Trafficking Commission. Melissa previously served as an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney with the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office and was the General Counsel for the Wayne County Land Bank. She has over a decade of litigation experience, much of her career spent focusing on the criminal prosecution of crimes against children. In 2024 she was named Homeland Security Investigations Prosecutor of the Year and in 2025 she received the International Association of Prosecutors Special Achievement Award for her work in human trafficking and sexual assault prosecutions. She is an alumna of the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor, where she earned her undergraduate degree in Political Science and History. She then received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. 

In her current role with the Michigan Department of Attorney General, Melissa leads the charge in Human Trafficking and Child Abuse prosecutions. She sits as a member of the Michigan Human Trafficking Task Force, the Improving Outcomes for Child and Youth Victims of Human Trafficking Advisory Committee, and on the  Human Trafficking of Children Protocol Revision Committee. Melissa also sits as the Attorney General Designee for the Michigan Prosecuting Attorneys Coordinating Council. Melissa is also a proud member of Shorewood Kiwanis, American Inn of Courts and the Women’s Law Association of Michigan.