Melissa McHugh

Melissa McHugh is an entrepreneur, real estate developer, and Chief Operating Officer of Dooryard, a Maine-based housing company focused on affordable and workforce housing. Her path to housing started close to home. Growing up without much stability and living with chronic illness showed her early that a safe, secure home is the foundation for everything else.

Melissa has more than a decade of experience across commercial and residential development, property management, financial analysis, and operations. Today, she oversees affordable housing projects from start to finish. At Dooryard, she has led the company's growth from a startup into a fully integrated housing platform. In a single year, she catalyzed the launch of a general contracting company, a property management company, and a $10 million investment fund, while also running development consulting and modular home sales. The operational and financial systems she built enable small-scale projects to move from concept to construction to stabilization.

She brings the same drive to her community. With her husband, Melissa co-owns JoySwich Outdoors, a company which runs disc golf leagues and events and installed nine-hole free disc golf courses at Payson Park and Deering Oaks. In 2027 they will open a café at Payson Park, a new gathering place for the neighborhood.

When she's not building homes or courses, Melissa is usually outside enjoying nature with her two dogs.