Melanie Nakagawa is an American attorney, former government official, and the current Chief Sustainability Officer of Microsoft.

Her career began in Washington, D.C., where she worked on various energy projects led by entities including the U.S. Department of State and the National Security Council.

[5] In this role, she continued her policy development, noting in one instance that the REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) framework would be a good investment for USAID projects.

She highlighted that gender was tied closely to these initiatives, as the impacts of climate change are compounded by inequity for many women.

[8] In this role, she worked on the U.S. return to the Paris Agreement and was responsible for integrating climate change metrics into U.S. foreign policy and national security.