Melissa Conyears-Ervin

City Treasurer, City of Chicago

Melissa Conyears-Ervin is the current City Treasurer of the City of Chicago. She is a former State Representative for the 10th District who believes in the promise of opportunity and the strength of families to effectively address the needs of our communities.

As the product of a single-parent household, Melissa has seen firsthand the value of education and faith from her mother. Through hard work and determination, Melissa became the first in her family to graduate from college and earn an MBA from Roosevelt University.

Before being elected as a State Representative, Melissa gained more than 15 years of experience in the insurance industry as an executive for Allstate and CS Insurance Strategies, gaining insight into the challenges in the diverse and vibrant City of Chicago.

As City Treasurer, Melissa is the only city-wide elected official sitting on all four pension boards and has utilized her private-sector and financial experience to increase economic development in Chicago’s neighborhoods by raising awareness of systemic issues that result in racial inequities. Under her leadership, the Advancing Equity in Banking Commission was formed to advance equity and eliminate systemic racism in the banking industry through equitable hiring, lending, and investment in Black communities. She believes that Chicago’s $9.5 billion portfolio should be leveraged to help Chicago communities grow at the same economic rate, regardless of their zip code.
In addition to her extensive civic and financial backgrounds, Melissa is passionate about giving back to the community. She has served as a mentor for high school girls and co-chair of several events for the community, including the popular back-to-school festival that provides school supplies for over 1,000 kids.

Melissa lives in Garfield Park with her husband Jason and daughter Jeneva. She is a proud member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. and serves as the youth superintendent at Mt. Vernon Church in addition to participating in a youth mentoring program for teenage girls. She also founded a women’s book club that draws members from Roscoe Village to Lawndale.