Melody MacKenzie Assistant Professor of Law Director, Center for Excellence in Native Hawaiian Law 2515 Dole St. Honolulu, HI 96822 Office 248 (808) 956-0828 mkmacken@hawaii.edu

Melody Kapilialoha MacKenzie

BA, cum laude, 1970, Beloit College; JD, University of Hawai`i, 1976.

After receiving her law degree, Professor MacKenzie served as a law clerk to Chief Justice William S. Richardson of the Hawai`i Supreme Court. In 1980, she joined the staff of the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, a public interest law firm protecting and advancing the rights of Native Hawaiians.  She served as NHLC's Executive Director from 1982-1986 and as a senior staff attorney from 1986-1992. From 1992-1999, she was the Executive Director of the Hawaiian Claims Office, a state program established to review and make recommendations on claims by Hawaiian Home Lands beneficiaries.

Prof. MacKenzie is project coordinator and chief editor for revisions to the Native Hawaiian Rights Handbook (1991), which she originally edited and helped to write, and is a contributor to the new edition of Felix S. Cohen's Handbook of Federal Indian Law.  Prof. MacKenzie teaches Native Hawaiian Rights, the Native Hawaiian Rights Clinic, Advanced Legal Studies in Native Hawaiian Law and Legal Research and Writing.