KELSEY ELIZABETH MATTHEWS

 Originally from East Haven, CT, Kelsey graduated Summa Cum Laude with Bachelor of Social Work degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. During her time at UNLV, Kelsey was selected as one of 58 students nationwide to be awarded the prestigious Harry S. Truman Scholarship based on her records of leadership, public service, and academic achievement. She was also selected as just one of ten UNLV Outstanding Graduates for the Class of 2023.

Kelsey has been described as a natural born leader. With 12 years of experience in non-profit leadership, Kelsey's passion for service and community started early. She got her start in the non-profit sector in 2012 as a volunteer when she was just a freshman in high school, spending her teenage years immersed in the world of cat rescue. By the time she was a junior in high school, she was leading teams of people as a direct-care shift supervisor, as well as serving as an adoption follow-up coordinator and adoption counselor. After moving to Las Vegas, Kelsey worked professionally as a Rehabilitative Mental Health Provider before going on to work full-time in the non-profit sector, specializing in community engagement and program management. Her areas of focus have included animal rescue/welfare, mental health, suicide prevention, and substance abuse, advocating passionately to bring awareness to the drug and opioid crisis that took her mother’s life in 2016 when she was found dead during her senior year of high school. As a National Ambassador for Shatterproof, Kelsey has been actively involved with the Nevada Senate, assisting in passing Assembly Bill 374 and Senate Bill 390 in 2021. She also lobbied on Capitol Hill for federal legislation related to mental health in 2023. Kelsey stepped into a non-profit management position immediately after graduating from college, which speaks heavily to the extent of her skills, experiences, and abilities. 

 Additionally, Kelsey was ordained as a chaplain in 2022 through Chaplaincy Nevada and Message of Faith Ministry, where she served as a spiritual first responder with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and Rebuilding Every City Around Peace (RECAP), a faith-based/community and Law Enforcement partnership calling for effective intervention and response to crime, trauma, and gang-related violence. Kelsey thoroughly enjoyed her time as a chaplain until her resignation in 2024. She was also appointed to the National Youth Council on College Mental Health and has spoken to students at numerous universities, including UNLV, Denver, and Maryland. She has appeared on national platforms, including Nevada Public Radio, Landmark Recovery Radio, and The Mary Christie Institute Quadcast, speaking on topics like substance abuse, mental health, and college affordability. She was also a co-author and contributor to the bestselling book “Grace Is: Compelling Parables from Las Vegas Chaplains” published by Chaplaincy Nevada in 2023.  

Kelsey has a heart for survivors of emotional and verbal abuse, especially at institutional levels. After being raised in a psychological war zone due to familial narcissistic abuse and coercive control, she went on to experience similar cycles of abuse at the hands of professionals and institutions three separate times in her adulthood, sparking her interest in the phenomenon of Institutional/Organizational Narcissism. Through overcoming her painful experiences and engaging in her own personal process of research and studying, she has gone on to develop an advanced and in-depth understanding of ethics, abuse tactics, and power dynamics and how they present themselves, relationally, professionally, institutionally, and even spiritually. This has since prompted her newfound passion for raising up healthy leaders and her desire to advocate for others who have been harmed at the hands of institutions they trusted. Kelsey is a TEDx speaker and presented her talk, “Transformative Leadership: The Power of Love to Change the World,” at TEDxUNLV 2024.

Currently, Kelsey is member of the Maxwell Leadership Certified Team and the Founder/CEO of Phoenix Rising Coaching & Consulting, LLC. As a coach, trainer, speaker, and consultant focused on personal growth and leadership development, she aims to create lasting change for generations to come by equipping and empowering leaders to discover the potential of their purpose, power, and passion. Currently, Kelsey is on a full-ride scholarship at the University of Connecticut, pursuing her Master of Social Work degree with a concentration in policy practice in the Advanced Standing program. She is excited to be completing her practicum internship placement with the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence, focusing her work and study on policy & initiatives related to juvenile justice and divorce/custody. In the future, she aspires to go on to pursue a PhD in Social/Personality Psychology at Yale University.