ID.me Appoints Former State Executive and Government Modernization Leader Mitch Melis as Field CTO, Public Sector

MCLEAN, Va., Feb. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- ID.me, the market-leading digital identity wallet that simplifies how individuals securely prove their identity online, today announced that Mitch Melis is joining the company as Field Chief Technology Officer, Public Sector. In this new role, Melis will serve as a trusted advisor and subject matter expert for ID.me's government customers, helping them bridge the gap between technical vision and real-world implementation of ID.me's technology.

"Government agencies need a partner who understands how to scale digital identity, find operational efficiencies, prevent fraud, and build user trust within real operational and compliance constraints," said Chris Mills, Chief Revenue Officer at ID.me. "Mitch will be an outstanding advisor for agency decision-makers, because he has firsthand experience navigating and overcoming the challenges they often face."

Melis brings a proven track record of leading successful operational and digital transformations of government agencies and services.

Most recently he served as Commissioner of the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC), where he led a multi-year turnaround focused on workflow redesign, digital modernization, and trust-based identity integration—improving service delivery, eliminating backlogs, reducing call center demand, and strengthening fraud prevention. Under his leadership, Virginia's unemployment system went from near last to leading nationally among peer states.

Previously, Melis served as Director of the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR), responsible for licensing and regulating more than 300,000 individuals and businesses. There, he led operational improvements that significantly reduced vacancy timelines and accelerated time-to-license across regulated professions. In addition to his agency leadership roles, Melis also served in a cross-agency advisory capacity focused on strategic innovation and operational modernization.

As Field CTO, Public Sector, Melis will engage directly with government CIOs, CTOs, CISOs, and senior program leaders—advising on digital identity best practices, compliance considerations, and how identity can be embedded across operations to improve service delivery and trust. He will also translate customer needs and operational insights into product feedback to inform ID.me's ongoing innovation.

"Identity and trust are foundational to how people securely access essential services," said Melis. "ID.me enables public-sector agencies to deliver that access at scale—reducing friction for users while strengthening security and preventing fraud. I look forward to helping agencies integrate identity as a core capability across programs and operations, so they can streamline workflows, protect public resources, and stay focused on their mission."

About ID.me

ID.me is the next-generation digital identity wallet that simplifies how individuals securely prove their identity online. Consumers can verify their identity with ID.me once and seamlessly sign in across websites without having to create a new sign-in and verify their identity again. Over 159 million users experience streamlined sign-in and identity verification with ID.me at 21 federal agencies, 50 state government agencies, and more than 70 healthcare organizations. More than 600 consumer brands use ID.me to verify communities and user segments to honor service and build authentic relationships. ID.me is committed to "No Identity Left Behind" to enable all people to have a secure digital identity.

SOURCE ID.me, Inc.