Meet Melissa

Melissa Ratcliff has deep roots in the 46th Assembly District, which includes Cottage Grove, Sun Prairie, and an area on Madison’s far east side.

Elected three times to serve areas of the District on the Dane County Board, she was also elected three times to the Cottage Grove Village Board. Melissa is active in a host of community and civic groups including Dane County Miracle League, Friends of the Cottage Grove Library, the Historical Societies in both Sun Prairie and Cottage Grove, Chambers of Commerce in Cottage Grove and Sun Prairie and the Sun Prairie Rotary Club.

After winning a five-person primary in August of 2022, she was elected in November 2022 to replace retiring Representative Gary Hebl. Her focus as an elected leader has been on defending reproductive rights, protecting the right to vote, expanding access to broadband services, services for seniors, affordable housing, equity and LGBTQ+ rights, and supporting public schools.

Melissa was born in Green Bay, grew up in Wausau and graduated from Wausau East High School.

Professionally, she is a paralegal for a Madison law firm, where she has worked for over 20 years. Melissa and her family reside in Cottage Grove. Her son attends Madison College and her daughter is a freshman at Monona Grove High School.