Melissa Sibley
DEPARTMENT

Director of Legal Operations, Office of General Counsel

BIOGRAPHY

Melissa joined the Office of General Counsel in 2015 and serves as Director of Legal Operations. Her professional experience at Rice has varied, with a focus on contracts, employment, public information requests, compliance, corporate governance and operations. Before joining Rice, Melissa spent 12 years as a litigation paralegal and an executive assistant at an insurance company where she held a property and casualty insurance license. In this position, she handled internal and external audits, worked directly with regulatory officials, trained producers, and managed litigation with outside counsel. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from the University of Houston-Downtown and is an Advanced Certified Paralegal with the National Association of Legal Assistants. She is also an active member of Higher Education Legal Managers, Corporate Legal Operations Consortium, and member of several committees. Melissa joined the Staff Council in 2024, and she hopes to connect new incoming staff members with mentors across campus.