Profiles in Service - May 27, 2019

Melissa McKinlay 

Board Member
County Commissioner, Palm Beach County, Fla.

Number of years involved in NACo: I was elected to the County Commission in 2014 and immediately engaged in NACo activities. However, I was employed by Palm Beach County’s Legislative Affairs Office prior to being elected and worked with NACo in that role as well.

Years in public service: Off and on since 1992

Occupation: Full-time commissioner and mom

Education: Bachelor’s degree from Florida State University

The hardest thing I’ve ever done is: Become a single parent

Three people (living or dead) I’d invite to dinner: My mom (passed away in 2017), the Roosevelts and Pope Francis.

A dream I have is to: Win the lottery, use the proceeds to form a foundation and give away grants for the rest of my life!

My favorite way to relax is to:Spend a day in PJs binge-watching Netflix

You’d be surprised to learn: I was the team manager for my high school baseball team, did all of the scoring, hitting and pitching charts and went on to be a batgirl for the Florida State Seminoles’ baseball team.

The most adventurous thing I’ve ever done is: It would definitely be a toss-up between driving a combine harvester or putting on full firefighter gear and going into the burn building with 450-degree flames burning in front of me.

I’m most proud of: My three fantastic kids (Brady, 21; Macey, 19 and Annika, 17)

Every morning I read: Sayfie Review (it’s a Florida thing) and my Twitter feed

My favorite meal is: Ice cream

My pet peeve is: Mean women, the kind that always tear down other women.

My motto is: Never forget where you came from, ever.

The last book I read was: Last Train to Paradise (the story of Henry Flagler)

My favorite movie is: Steel Magnolias

My favorite music: Depends on the day!

My favorite U.S. president: Abraham Lincoln for ending the Civil War and slavery.

My county is a NACo member because: Local government is under constant attack across our country from preemptions to unfunded mandates. The relationships, the teamwork and the learning opportunities provided by NACo to counter these attacks are second to none. That and we just think Matt Chase is a cool guy!