Melissa Espinoza, PhD

Dr Melissa Espinoza completed her PhD from the Institute of Social Policy, Housing, Inequalities Research at Heriot-Watt University in Scotland. She is an expert on the impacts of racial inequalities in public policy.  Her professional experience in North America centres on racial inequalities within housing and homelessness policies. She has extensive research experience in the United Kingdom, studying and evaluating homelessness programmes in Greater Manchester, Newcastle, and Birmingham. She has published research on ageing populations' housing needs and other anti-poverty work. 

 

She is heavily involved in supporting international and grassroots movements that help elevate and promote the voices of Black, First Nations, Latinx, and other people of colour. She serves on the Board of Trustees for Economic Lead, an award-winning and first-of-its-kind BAME/BIPOC-founded research company in Scotland and is board director for Bowling Green Together CIC. She also volunteers year-round for Minga Indigena, a movement that elevates First Nations voices and knowledge in climate change negotiations.

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She is currently an international consultant who focuses on establishing and amending Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging to operational and administrative processes and sustainably provides capacity building and technical assistance.