Lieutenant Junior Grade Melanie Arroyave reported to Sector Virginia's Incident Management Division in December 2021. She serves as a Pollution Responder, Boat Crew Member, and ICS Division lead and is breaking in as Federal on Scene Coordinator Representative, Boarding Team Member are in in progress. She supervises 5 E4-E6. Directs incident management operations and pollution response across 3,300 sq. nm Sector AOR. Coordinates joint responses with OGAs and maritime stakeholders to all-hazard incidents in East Coast's 2nd largest commercial port with the world's largest naval base and fleet. Collaterals include assistant station, awards, procurement manager, Norfolk State University Liaison, and Women's Leadership Initiative Executive Board member. LTJG Arroyave was recently appointed to serve as an Executive Member to the CG Women's Advisory Board, one of 15 members selected nationwide, to enhance recruitment, retention, and policy improvements before Congress.

In her previous assignment, she served as a Luce Scholar in Seoul, South Korea, where she worked with North Korean defectors assisting their transition into the democratic society of South Korea. In addition, she worked on a documentary film, "The Korean Dream," highlighting South Korea's strict immigration law and a new wave of ASEAN migrants, specifically Filipinos, who make up over 25% of the world's merchant mariners. She follows the lives of five Filipinos, exploring their unique talents and struggles during the COVID-19 pandemic. The film debuted at the U.S. Embassy in South Korea.

LTJG Arroyave is a graduate of Coast Guard recruit training with company E-196. Selected for the College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative (CSPI) Program in 2018, she completed her bachelor's degree with summa cum laude honors in Labor Studies and Public Health at Rutgers University, N.J., in 2020, graduating in the top two percent of her graduating class.

LTJG Arroyave's personal military service awards include an Achievement Medal, CG Good Conduct Medal and DHS Outstanding Unit Award. Her educational accomplishments include earning the Leadership Certificate from Institute for Women's Leadership. She received the Facing History and Ourselves Student Upstander Award for her work with Holocaust survivors and Andean natives of Colombia. She is a recipient of the Equal Opportunity Fund and the Hispanic Fund Scholarships. As a Lloyd C. Gardner Fellow, Melanie conducted a comparative analysis of the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights in New York and New Jersey. She's also worked as a legislative intern with the House of Representatives and pro bono as a Federal Mediation Associate for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in New York City.

A native of Jersey City, NJ, and a proud Colombian-American, she is an active member of ANSO and NNOA. Melanie volunteers at her local YWCA and Girl Scouts during her free time and enjoys podcasting, kayaking, hiking, and high-interval training.