Melanie Erasmus
Strategy and Donor Engagement

Having grown up in South Africa, Melanie has seen what it means to live in a non-democratic society and did not want that to happen here. Understanding the high stakes of this election, she was inspired to join the Focus for Democracy team.

Energized by Barack Obama’s Convention address in 2004, Melanie has been an active participant in every election cycle. Her involvement spans a wide range of activities, from grassroots canvassing and poll monitoring to ensuring election security. She has also taken the initiative to organize numerous voter registration and engagement opportunities. 

Currently, she serves on the Board of the Democratic Volunteer Center, whose mission is to engage voters in volunteer activities nationwide to advance voter involvement in the electoral process.

After graduating with an MBA from Santa Clara University and a law degree from Stanford University, she worked as a lawyer in the technology sector for several years before taking on a new role at Stanford University. 

At Stanford, she worked with senior leadership and research faculty whose mission was to cure worldwide blindness. Her role was to advance that mission by helping secure philanthropy. She brings her Stanford donor engagement expertise to Focus for Democracy’s mission by working with donors committed to safeguarding our democracy.

Melanie is passionate about education and served on the Las Lomitas Education Foundation and as Chair of the Keys School Board Development Committee. 

Melanie enjoys hiking, biking, and traveling. She has two sons and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband.