Melissa Haussman

Wellesley High School Writer: Melissa Haussman (1977)

            Melissa attended Bates, Wellesley Junior High, and WHS, then Colby College where she majored in government.  She earned an MA from Carlton University (Ottawa), then her PhD from Duke in Political Science.  She worked at the Harvard Center for International Affairs and on Beacon Hill for Wellesley Representative Royall H. Switzler, taught at Suffolk University, then spent the rest of her career teaching at Carleton University in Ottawa.  She is the author, co-author and co-editor of 8 books, including Abortion Politics in North America; Walking the Gendered Tightrope: Nancy Pelosi and Theresa May as Legislative Leaders; and Religion and Health in East Africa. 

            Melissa has always been interested in the role of government as helping to achieve equity in people’s lives, and particularly in comparing governments to see the “levers” which people can access.  She has written both on electoral politics and social policy, and participated in many campaigns, beginning with Wellesley’s Margaret Heckler’s.  She was on the WHS debate team and a competitive swimmer in high school and college, including the period before Title IX when she and another brave young woman swam on the “men’s” team at Colby.  She is a politics/policy wonk who also enjoys the outdoors.