PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Emory University School of Law
Atlanta, Georgia
Clinical Professor of Law, Barton Center Public Policy & Legislative Advocacy Clinics Executive Director, Barton Child Law and Policy Center, December 2010 - present
Administer clinical law program consisting of 3 in-house legal clinics, including coordination of clinical faculty and supervision of staff and students; development of curricula; fundraising and budget management for Center operations; managing and implementing grant-funded projects; and maintaining relationships within Emory University through participation in faculty committees. Supervise law and other graduate students in the development of research-based, data-driven policy and
legislative advocacy to promote the legal rights and interests of abused, neglected, and court-involved children. Teach Child Welfare Law & Policy, a two-credit course for second and third year law students. Participate in local, state, and national policy development, reform, and training. Prepare comments on proposed regulations; draft legislation and testify before state legislature. Facilitate external relationships with partners and manage external communications.
Office of the Child Advocate for the Protection of Children, State of Georgia
Macon and Atlanta, Georgia
Director, February 2010 – November 2010 Acting Director, January 2010 – February 2010 Deputy Director, August 2007 – January 2010
Administered starting budget of $1.2 million and 10 staff to fulfill statutory mandates to provide independent oversight of state child welfare system and coordination of activities related to child injury and fatality review and prevention. Established
legislative and policy priorities consistent with agency strategic plan and directed staff efforts to respond to public concerns about Georgia’s child protection system, conducted systemic evaluation, and promoted best practices and balanced reform. Provided
education and training on child welfare issues to government leaders, legislators, agency administrators, and child advocacy organizations.
Administrative Office of the Courts of Georgia, Supreme Court of Georgia Committee on Justice for Children
Atlanta, Georgia
Director of Legal Training, October 2006 – August 2007
State implementation of federal Court Improvement Program (CIP) training grant to improve the processing of civil child abuse and neglect cases. Extensive research, writing and presentation on child welfare matters. Analysis of state and federal legislation, policy, and regulations related to juvenile law. Regular interaction with juvenile court judges, child welfare agency administrators, attorneys, and other juvenile court stakeholders.
M E L I S S A D . C A R T E R
E M O R Y U N I V E R S I T Y S C H O O L O F L A W / 1 3 0 1 C L I F T O N R O A D / A T L A N T A , G A 3 0 3 2 2
Claiborne, Outman & Surmay, P.C.
Atlanta, Georgia
Associate Attorney, October 2005 – October 2006
Direct client representation in contested and uncontested adoption matters, assisted reproductive technology matters, and juvenile court deprivation proceedings. Contribute to legislative advocacy initiatives focusing on adoption related issues. Presented on adoption-related topics at local seminars and statewide conferences.
Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, Court Services Division
Springfield, Illinois
Data Program Specialist, Court Improvement Program, March 2005 – October 2005 Coordinated planning and design efforts for statewide automated data collection and case tracking information system for use by juvenile courts in child abuse and neglect proceedings. Served as liaison to Illinois Judicial Conference Study Committee on Juvenile Justice. Provided legal research and writing support to Division.
Administrative Office of the Courts of Georgia, Supreme Court of Georgia Child Placement Project
Atlanta, Georgia
Managing Attorney, Child Placement Project, September 2003 – March 2005 Provided programmatic and technical assistance to juvenile court judges statewide. Conducted extensive legal research, issued publications and delivered
presentations to support juvenile court improvement efforts. Designed, implemented and coordinated One Child, One Lawyer pro bono attorney project to engage private
attorneys in the representation of children in deprivation (civil abuse and neglect) proceedings.
Emory University School of Law, Barton Child Law and Policy Clinic Atlanta, Georgia
Post-Graduate Fellow in Law, August 2002 - September 2003
Developed advocacy initiatives in partnership with government entities, academic institutions, and non-profit child welfare organizations. Legislative drafting and
advocacy. Extensive research, publication and presentation on child welfare topics. Supervised law students in public policy and legislative clinic offerings. Guest lecturer in seminar course.
EDUCATION
• J.D., 2002, University of Illinois College of Law, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois • B.S. 1999, Psychology, Summa Cum Laude, University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign
Phi Beta Kappa, University Honors
BAR ADMISSIONS
SELECTED PRESENTATIONS
Deconstructing the School to Prison Pipeline, Georgia System of Care Conference, Stone Mountain, GA, June 2014.
Assessing Your State’s Compliance with CAPTA, Facilitator, National Citizen Review Panel Conference, Atlanta, GA, May 2014.
From Recommendations to Legislation: Tips for Advocacy, National Citizen Review Panel Conference, Atlanta, GA, May 2014.
The State of Child Welfare in Georgia: Understanding the Opportunities and
Challenges, Presentation to the Child Welfare Reform Council, Atlanta, GA, May 2014. The State of Child Welfare in Georgia: Understanding the Opportunities and
Challenges, Juvenile Court Judges Spring Seminar, Jekyll Island, GA, May 2014. Juggling the Interests of Child Representation, Juvenile Court Judges Spring Seminar, Jekyll Island, GA, May 2014.
The State of Child Welfare in Georgia: Understanding the Opportunities and Challenges, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, March 2014.
The Debate Over Privatizing Child Welfare Services, Georgia Association of DFCS Boards, Macon, GA, March 2014.
The State of Child Welfare in Georgia: Understanding the Opportunities and Challenges, Georgia Grantmakers Alliance Meeting, Atlanta, GA, March 2014. Child Deaths & Serious Injuries Resulting from Child Maltreatment, Georgia Court Appointed Special Advocates Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA, March 2014.
Legislative Advocacy 101, Emory Center for Injury Control Advocacy Training, Atlanta, GA, February 2014.
Status Report: Implementation of the New Juvenile Code, Georgia Court Improvement Initiative, Covington, GA, February 2014.
Redaction of Child Welfare Records, Moderator, Child Welfare Legal Academy, Atlanta, GA, January 2014.
Mediation and the New Juvenile Code, Alternative Dispute Resolution Institute and the 2013 Neutrals’ Conference, Atlanta, GA, December 2013.
Foster Care Reform in Georgia, Presentation to the Lieutenant Governor’s Foster Care Reform Working Group, Atlanta, GA, November 2013.
Juggling the Interests of Child Representation, Bartow County Juvenile Court, Cartersville, GA, November 2013.
Georgia’s New Juvenile Code, CLE Program Chair, Atlanta, GA, November 2013. House Bill 242: The Juvenile Justice Reform Act, DBHDD Interagency Directors Team Meeting, Atlanta, GA, October 2013.
Revitalizing the Code: Dependency & TPR, Child Welfare Attorney Training, Atlanta, GA, October 2013.
Revitalizing the Code: Dependency, TPR & CHINS, Carroll County Juvenile Court Stakeholder Training, Carrollton, GA, October 2013.
The Promise of Juvenile Justice Reform for Children in Need of Services, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Child Abuse and Neglect Conference, Atlanta, GA, October 2013. Revitalizing Georgia’s Juvenile Code, Cobb County Child Abuse Protocol Committee Training, Marietta, GA, October 2013.
Revitalizing the Code: Dependency & TPR, DeKalb County Juvenile Court Stakeholder Meeting, Decatur, GA, October 2013.
Revitalizing the Code: A Focus on CHINS, Newton County Juvenile Court Stakeholder Meeting, Covington GA, September 2013.
Revitalizing the Code: A Focus on CHINS, DeKalb County Juvenile Court Stakeholder Meeting, Decatur, GA, September 2013.
The Special Needs of Adolescent Girls in the Child Welfare System, National Association of Counsel for Children Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA, August 2013.
Effective Policy Advocacy in a Fiscally Conservative Era, National Association of Counsel for Children Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA, August 2013.
The Special Needs of Adolescent Girls in the Child Welfare System, American Bar Association Children and the Law Conference, Washington D.C., August 2013.
Deconstructing the School to Prison Pipeline, Georgia System of Care Conference, Stone Mountain, GA, July 2013.
Revitalizing the Code: Dependency, TPR & CHINS, Troup County Juvenile Court Stakeholder Meeting, LaGrange, GA, June 2013.
Revitalizing the Code: Dependency, TPR & CHINS, Fulton County Court Improvement Initiative, Atlanta, GA, June 2013.
The Mandate to Report, Georgia Center for Child Advocacy 5th Annual Darkness to Light Facilitator Conference, Lake Lanier, GA, April 2013.
Juvenile Justice Reform: What’s In, What’s Out, What’s Next, Georgia Youth Law Conference, Atlanta, GA, March 2013.
Making a Best Interests Recommendation, Georgia Court Appointed Special Advocates Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA, March 2013.
Resource Toolkit for Child Advocates, Georgia Court Appointed Special Advocates Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA, March 2013.
Incentivizing Children’s Rights: Funding Implications for Child Welfare Policy, Georgia Court Appointed Special Advocates Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA, March 2013. Juvenile Justice Reform, 28th Biennial Institute for Georgia Legislators, Athens, GA, December 2012.
The Mandate to Report, Fulton County Mediators Training, Atlanta, GA, October 2012. A Profile of Georgia’s Juvenile Justice Population, Georgia Bar Young Lawyers
Division Juvenile Law Committee, Atlanta, GA, October 2012.
Combating Child Abuse: Working with Military Families Involved in the Child Welfare System, Newton County Juvenile Court, Covington, GA, September 2012.
The Mandate to Report, Georgia Division of Family and Children Services Webinar, Atlanta, GA, September 2012.
The Mandate to Report, St. Catherine Episcopal Church Volunteer Training, Atlanta, GA, September 2012.
The Mandate to Report, Fulton County Court Improvement Initiative Meeting, Atlanta, GA, August 2012.
The Mandate to Report, Interfaith Children’s Movement, Atlanta, GA, June 2012. Policy Panel: Trends in Child Welfare Policy, Moderator, Emory Summer Child Advocacy Program, Atlanta, GA, May 2012.
Interviewing and Counseling Child Clients, Small Group Facilitator, Emory Summer Child Advocacy Program, Atlanta, GA, May 2012.
Evaluating the Use of Psychotropic Drugs in Georgia’s Foster Care System, Global Health Law & Policy Workshop Series, Atlanta, GA, April 2012.
The State of Child Welfare in Georgia, Southwest CASA Working with Victims Conference, Americus, GA, April 2012.
A Spotlight on Psychotropic Medications: An Examination of the State’s Capacity to Ensure the Well-Being of Children in Foster Care, Southwest CASA Working with Victims Conference, Americus, GA, April 2012.
The State of Child Welfare in Georgia, Georgia Court Appointed Special Advocates Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA, March 2012.
Psychotropic Medications for Youth in Foster Care: Who Decides?, Georgia Bar Young Lawyers Division Juvenile Law Committee, Atlanta, GA, January 2012.
Psychotropic Medications, FaithBridge Foster Parent Training, Alpharetta, GA, November 2011.
Youth in Foster Care and Psychotropic Medications: Strategies to Improve Outcomes, Plenary Session, Georgia Youth Law Conference, Atlanta, GA, November 2011. Youth in Foster Care and Psychotropic Medications: Strategies to Improve Outcomes, National Association of Counsel for Children, San Diego, CA, September 2011.
The Timing of TPR: Contemplating the Consequences of ASFA, American Bar
Association Center on Children & the Law 2nd National Parents’ Attorneys Conference, Washington D.C., July 2011.
Psychotropic Medication of Our Clients: What’s to Be Done?, 14th American Bar Association Conference on Children and the Law, Washington D.C., July 2011. Psychotropic Medications for DFCS Kids: Who Decides?, 9th Annual Seminar Series, Critical Issues Facing Special Needs and At-Risk Children, Atlanta, GA, November 2011.
Policy Considerations in Foster Care Adoptions, Georgia Bar Family Law Section CLE, Atlanta, GA, November, 2011.
Balancing Family Preservation Practices & the Constitutional Rights of Families, Juvenile Court Judges Spring Seminar, May 2011.
Overview of Juvenile Court Deprivation Process, Emory Summer Child Advocacy Program, Atlanta, GA, May 2011.
Medical Welfare is Child Welfare: A Trauma-Informed Approach to Children in Foster
Care, Georgia Court Appointed Special Advocates Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA,
April 2011.
A Preview of the 2011 Legislative Session, Georgia Court Improvement Initiative Fall Meeting, October 2010.
Balancing Family Preservation Practices & the Constitutional Rights of Families, Georgia Youth Law Conference, Atlanta, GA, October 2010.
Fostering Connections to Success: A General Overview of the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 with Special Emphasis on Educational Stability Requirements, Georgia Department of Education McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaison’s Conference, Atlanta, GA, June 2010.
Implementing Fostering Connections for Greater Youth Empowerment: A General Overview of Substantive Provisions of HB 1085 and the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008, Juvenile Court Judges Spring Seminar, May 2010.
Overview of Juvenile Court Deprivation Process, Emory Summer Child Advocacy Program, Atlanta, GA, May 2010.
Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008: A General Overview of Substantive Provisions, Georgia Youth Law Conference, Atlanta, GA, November 2009.
Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008: A General Overview of Substantive Provisions, Adoptive and Foster Parent Association of Georgia, September 2009.
Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008: A General Overview of Substantive Provisions, Fulton County Court Improvement Initiative Meeting, Atlanta, GA, September 2009.
Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008: A General Overview of Substantive Provisions, Georgia Court Improvement Project Meeting, Dallas, GA, August 2009.
Overview of Juvenile Court Deprivation Process, Emory Summer Child Advocacy Program, Atlanta, GA, May 2009.
Resource Toolkit for Child Advocates, Georgia Court Appointed Special Advocates Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA, March 2009.
Resource Toolkit for Child Advocates, Georgia Court Appointed Special Advocates Annual Conference, Marietta, GA, March 2008.
Role of a Child Advocate Attorney: Interviewing and Trial Advocacy Skills, Emory Summer Child Advocacy Program, Atlanta, GA, May 2007.
PUBLICATIONS
Melissa Dorris Carter and Andrew Barclay, Op-Ed, Privatizing is Not a Proven Reform
Plan, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Feb. 20, 2014.
Melissa Carter, Op-Ed, Another View (addressing child maltreatment-related fatalities), Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Nov. 3, 2013.
Mark H. Murphy, Georgia Juvenile Practice and Procedure, Ch. 1:9, 2013-2014 ed. Melissa D. Carter, Medicating Trauma: Improving Prescription Oversight of Children in Foster Care, 46 Clearinghouse Rev. J. of Poverty L. and Pol’y 9-10, 398 (2013).
Melissa D. Carter, “Questions to Ask from the Bench: A Judicial Guide to Implementing Fostering Connections in Georgia,” Supreme Court of Georgia Committee on Justice for Children (2012).
Melissa D. Carter, “Georgia Psychotropic Medication Monitoring Project,” Barton Child Law & Policy Center (2012).
Hon. Steven C. Teske and Melissa Dorris Carter, The Next Generation of Child Advocacy, 13 Ga. Bar J. 1, 22 (2007).
Beth Locker and Melissa Dorris, A Child’s Right to Legal Representation in Georgia Abuse and Neglect Proceedings, 10 Ga. Bar J. 1, 12 (2004).
Melissa J. Dorris, Federal Oversight and Private Actions: Maintaining a Balance in Rights Enforcement of Federal Child Welfare Legislation, 23 Child. Legal Rts. J., 23 (2003).
PROFESSIONAL & CIVIC ACTIVITIES & AWARDS
• Member, Child Welfare Reform Council, appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal,
2013-present
• Member, Georgia Commission on Family Violence, appointed by Gov. Nathan Deal,
2012-current
• Co-Chair, Children’s Justice Act Taskforce, 2010-current. Leading efforts of a
statewide citizen review panel in the discharge of its duties as a federally-mandated multidisciplinary taskforce to improve the investigation, prosecution and judicial handling of cases of child abuse and neglect
• Member, Advisory Committee, Supreme Court of Georgia Committee on Justice for
• Ex-Officio Member, Board of Directors, Voices for Georgia’s Children, 2010-current
• 2013 cohort, Annie E. Casey Atlanta Leaders for Results Program, a ten-month
executive leadership program designed in partnership with the Atlanta Civic Site to increase the pool of diverse leaders in Atlanta.
• 2009 Marshall Memorial Fellow, German Marshall Fund of the United States
Selected as one of 60 American Fellows to examine transatlantic issues during four weeks of European travel.
• L.E.A.D. Atlanta, Class of 2009. Selected as one of 40 participants in a 9-month
leadership development program offered to young leaders by Leadership Atlanta.
• Member, 2005 Judicial Selection Committee, Juvenile Court of DeKalb County,
Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit
• Member, National Association of Counsel for Children, 2002-present (annual
conference planning committee member 2008)
• Member, State Bar of Georgia, 2002-present
• Member, Georgia Association of Counsel for Children; President, Board of Directors (DATE)
• Georgia’s 40 Under 40 “On the Rise,” Fulton County Daily Report, 2013.
• 2009-2010 Service Award for Advocacy on Behalf of Georgia’s Foster Youth,
awarded by the Georgia EmpowerMEnt Group and Georgia Department of Human Resources
• State Bar of Georgia, Young Lawyers Division
2010 Child Advocate Award – Policy Advocate
2010, Service Award, For Services to Georgia’s Children
2009-2010, Award of Achievement, For Outstanding Service to the Young
Lawyers Division, in recognition of service as Director of Service Projects 2007-2008, Award of Achievement, For Outstanding Service to the Public, in recognition of efforts on the Model Juvenile Code Project
2006-2007, Service Award, For Service to the Celebration of Excellence 2004-2005, Service Award, For Contributions on Behalf of the Juvenile Law Committee
