Melissa Kristen Agard (born March 28, 1969) is an American small business owner and Democratic politician from Madison, Wisconsin.
[5] In 2010, Agard's neighbors on the north side of Madison urged her to seek a newly-vacant seat on the Dane County Board of Supervisors.
[6] Agard won election to the county board and was part of the liberal majority on that body for four years, chairing the Health and Human Needs Committee.
The Madison-based senate seat attracted many interested potential candidates, but ultimately Agard had only one opponent in the Democratic primary—Monona Grove School Board president Andrew McKinney.
[13][14] During the primary, she renewed her commitment to pursue full decriminalization of marijuana in the state, as well as increasing the minimum wage, protecting labor rights, and providing more affordable housing.
[18] In November 2023, Agard announced that she would run for Dane County executive in a special election to be held in 2024, following the early resignation of Joe Parisi.