Melody Starya Mobley

Melody Starya Mobley is the first black woman to serve as a forester for the United States Forest Service.

Early life and education Mobley was born in 1958 in Louisville, Kentucky.

She began her college career at the University of Louisville, studying zoology, before transferring to the University of Washington to attain a degree in wildlife management.

Career

Mobley was hired by the United States Forest Service in 1977 after her first year in college, becoming the first black woman forester to serve in the organization.

While serving, Mobley claimed to be sexually assaulted by one of her white male colleagues, while working at a remote site in Skykomish, Washington around 1978.

Mobley retired from the Forest Service in 2005 at age 46.

In 2024, Mobley was chosen to receive the Diversity Leadership Award from the Society of American Foresters.

Personal life Mobley is religious.