Council Member Melissa Cheatham
Ward 2
Council Committees
Biography
Melissa Cheatham was first elected to the City Council in November 2021 and re-elected in 2025. Cheatham is a mom, community advocate and policymaker with experience solving problems at the federal, local and neighborhood levels.
On the Council, Melissa has focused on strengthening neighborhoods, improving city services, and making our community safer and more sustainable.
Cheatham has lived in Overland Park since 2012. She and her husband, Chris, are the parents of two children, who are students in the Shawnee Mission School District.
Cheatham was an active community volunteer during her years as a stay-at-home parent. She served on the Overland Park Environmental Advisory Council, a member of the Policy Committee for Climate Action KC, Legislative Chair for her children’s Parent Teacher Association, as an officer on her neighborhood’s Homes Association, and as a Board Member of Wonderscope Children’s Museum of Kansas City.
Cheatham is the Program Director of the State Support Center, a nonprofit initiative that assists states in implementing energy policy and programs. Previously, Cheatham worked at a national environmental advocacy group and as professional staff in the U.S. House of Representatives.
