Melissa Barrow earned her bachelor's degree in sociology from the University of Texas at Austin. She has volunteered with the Forest Hills Neighborhood Association and the Dallas Area Parkinson's Society. She lives with her husband, James, and their three children in Kennedale, Texas.

Melissa currently works as a senior brand insights manager at Vizient, Inc. She previously worked as a consumer insights contractor at TruStage, a manager at 7-Eleven, a market research manager at GameStop, a market research analyst at Texas Health Resources, a senior marketing analyst at Interstate Batteries, and a market research program manager at Texas Instruments.

Melissa's campaign for Kennedale, Texas, City Council is her first campaign for public office.