Kellie spent 5 years in Kansas’s foster care system and despite numerous forms of abuse has emerged a leader not only in Kansas, but also in the federal government. Locally, Kellie is a board member of CASA and has served on the Northwest Kansas Youth Suicide Prevention Coalition. Kellie also spent this past summer in D.C as a foster youth intern for the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute’s (CCAI) summer foster youth internship. In this internship she produced a policy report for congress aimed at improving the federal child welfare system. Since then she returned to assist with CCAI’s Angel’s in adoption program and Gala. Kellie graduated from The University of Kansas Summa Cum Laude with her masters in Social Work and desires to continue on to her Ph.D. Currently she hopes so help start a mentoring program with The University of Kansas to increase enrollment and retention of foster youth in higher education.
