José Melo de Oliviera believes in the power of education to change lives. As the Governor of Amazonas, Brazil, Melo has advocated for the public schools where he himself attended as a student. Prior to his current role, he worked in various educational institutions including the Federal Technical School of the Amazon and the University of Amazonas. Melo joined politics in 1984 when he first became a delegate of the Ministry of Education, then the Secretary of Education and Culture in Amazonas. In 2014, in a campaign united 16 parties, he was appointed Governor of Amazonas. 

Melo earned a degree in Economics from the Federal University of Amazonas.