PRESS RELEASE
January 26, 2023 
Contact: Michelle Mittelstadt
202-266-1910
[email protected]

MPI Board of Trustees Welcomes New Members with Distinguished Experience in Government, Private Sector, Philanthropy & Academia

WASHINGTON — Three new members joined the Migration Policy Institute’s Board of Trustees this week. The three, whose selections were formally approved by the board last year, have deep experience in the Department of Homeland Security, Congress, the business and philanthropic sectors and academia.

The new trustees are:

• Lynden Melmed: A partner with Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP, where he oversees the compliance and government affairs practices, Mr. Melmed previously served as chief counsel of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Prior to that, he was special counsel to Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas), who at that time was chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security and Citizenship. In that capacity, he was involved in oversight of federal immigration agencies and played a leading role in drafting and managing the comprehensive immigration legislation that passed the Senate in 2006.
• Mariko Silver: President and CEO of the Henry Luce Foundation, Dr. Silver previously was president of Bennington College. During the Obama administration, she served as acting assistant secretary of homeland security for international affairs and deputy assistant secretary for international policy. She also served as policy advisor for economic development, innovation and higher education for Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano. Prior to her government service, Dr. Silver was instrumental in the transformation and expansion of Arizona State University.
• Julie Myers Wood: As CEO of Guidepost Solutions, an investigations, compliance and security consulting firm with offices throughout the United States, as well as Colombia, England and Singapore, Ms. Wood focuses on regulatory compliance and investigative work and regularly serves as an independent monitor/consultant appointed by the U.S. government. Before joining Guidepost Solutions, Ms. Wood started a consulting and software firm, ICS Consulting, that was acquired by Guidepost Solutions in 2012. She previously held several high-level positions with the U.S. government, including at the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, Treasury and Commerce, as well as at the White House. In one of her most significant government roles, Ms. Wood served as head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“We are delighted to welcome Julie, Mariko and Lynden and look forward to the insights and strategic vision they will offer the board of trustees and MPI more broadly, drawing on their distinguished management, policy and legal experiences in and out of government,” said MPI Board of Trustees Chair Lidia Soto-Harmon.

Ms. Wood, Dr. Silver and Mr. Melmed previously served on MPI’s Advisory Board.

For more on the Board of Trustees, visit: www.migrationpolicy.org/about/trustees.

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The Migration Policy Institute is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit think tank in Washington, D.C. dedicated to analysis of the movement of people worldwide. MPI provides analysis, development and evaluation of migration and refugee policies at the local, national and international levels. For more on MPI, please visit www.migrationpolicy.org.

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