Melissa W. Buis

Melissa W. Buis is one of the original Founders of the Transformative Justice Community (TJC) and is a Professor of Politics, Policy, Law, and Ethics as well as a contributor to the Women's and Gender Studies Program at Willamette University. She teaches classes in American politics, social welfare policy, and transformative justice, including classes at the Oregon State Penitentiary, where she has been a volunteer since 2015. Melissa earned her Ph.D. from Brandeis University and B.A. from Boston College. She is also Founder and Director of the Transformative Justice Initiative (TJI) at Willamette University, which supports education efforts about transformative justice both inside and outside of prison. She was motivated to launch ReGroup, one of three programs of TJC, in 2021 because she wanted to create a community that returning citizens could access immediately and which would foster inclusivity and belonging. Melissa served as Board Chair of TJC until September 2025 when she resigned and was appointed by TJC’s Board to serve as Executive Director.