Dr. Melissa L. Villodas is an assistant professor at George Mason University's Department of Social Work. Dr. Villodas is a graduate of Nyack College (BA in English Writing, 2012), New York University (MSW, 2015), and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (Ph.D., 2022). Her research and teaching have been shaped primarily by her experiences as a clinical social worker serving system-involved and marginalized youth in community-based mental health settings. Dr. Villodas’ research focuses on adolescence, the transition to adulthood, and the aspects of the social and built environments that support or inhibit positive mental health outcomes into adulthood. Dr. Villodas seeks to identify strategies to support transition-aged youth mental health through both traditional mental health services and innovative community-based interventions and initiatives.