Melanie Higgins Dostie is the business manager at the Carsey Institute, where she handles all aspects of the office and general operations, including grant proposal development, grant management, and budget preparation. Melanie began working at the Carsey Institute in 2004, when she was hired as a program assistant and later became administrative coordinator.

A long-time resident of Kingston, New Hampshire, Melanie graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 1997 with a bachelor of science degree in tourism planning and development. She has spent much of her career working for not-for-profit groups throughout the state, including New Hampshire Travel Council, First Night New Hampshire, Capitol Center for the Arts, and Celebrate New Hampshire Culture.

Her passion for bringing different constituents together to make a difference led her to the Carsey Institute.