Melissa F. Lucas
Client Chief Investment Officer
Melissa has worked as an investment professional for over 30 years, and co-chairs the firm’s investment committee with Stuart Lucas. In addition to her overall investment perspective and focus, Melissa has longstanding experience in early stage venture capital fund investing.
For more than two decades, Melissa has been a principal for the Lucas family, and continues to serve as a chief investment officer for the family and for other clients.
Since 2006, Melissa has served as chief investment officer for a series of trusts created for the benefit of an additional extended family. In this capacity, she supports a board of trustees in carrying out investment-related aspects of its fiduciary responsibilities. Melissa collaborates regularly with this family's other advisors and has aided in trustee education as well as development of effective investment structures and reporting processes.
Previously, Melissa held positions of increasing responsibility within The Capital Group Companies, ending as a Vice President of Capital Research Company, where she researched the chemical and healthcare industries, directly managing roughly $500 million of investments and influencing investments in these areas throughout the American Funds family of mutual funds. Prior to that, Melissa served as a chemical analyst and investor with Capital Guardian Trust Company and as a biochemist with Merck & Co.
Melissa graduated summa cum laude with a degree in biochemical sciences from Princeton University, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.