Melisa Denis of Coppell, Texas, was appointed to the Board in 2019 and elected chair in August of 2025.
After a distinguished career at KPMG, Regent Denis transitioned into board leadership, joining Hydrofarm Holdings Group and Smartkem Corporation, where she chairs the audit committees. She was also appointed by Governor Abbott to the Board of Regents for the University of North Texas System, furthering her commitment to higher education governance. She was elected as Vice Chair of the Board of Regents.
In addition to her board service, Regent Denis is the President of Miracle Pointe Development, a real estate development firm specializing in residential communities across Texas and Colorado. Her expertise in strategic financial management, governance, and risk oversight was honed during her tenure as a Global Lead Partner at KPMG, where she spearheaded transformative accounting, tax, and advisory solutions for multinational companies in the consumer and industrial sectors.
A passionate advocate for diversity, Regent Denis co-founded KPMG’s diversity network for women, championing inclusive leadership in corporate boardrooms. She holds a Master's of Accounting and Tax from the University of North Texas.
Regent Denis has received numerous accolades, including being named one of DFW's Top 25 Changemakers by the Dallas Business Journal Women in Business Awards in 2010 and a winner of the 2011 w2wlink Dallas Ascendency Awards. In 2013, she received the Outstanding Alumni Service Award from the University of North Texas.
She and her husband have two children.