His industry experience includes award-winning work in commercial television news and online journalism as a writer and producer in Washington, D.C., Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Charlotte, North Carolina. He also worked as an assignment editor and video journalist at local television stations around the country and at CNN and SNC.

Mellen’s scholarly research explores the Virginia colonial origins of the free press clause of the First Amendment. He was recently invited to present his media history research on national gazettes at the 2019 Research Centre for the Study of Population, Economy and Society (CEPESE) international conference in Porto, Portugal.

Mellen holds a B.A. in broadcast journalism from Hampshire College, an M.A. in mass communications from the University of Denver, and a Ph.D. in American history from George Mason University. NMSU has granted Dr. Mellen emeritus faculty status.