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. She stepped into a management position immediately after graduating from college, which speaks heavily to the extent of her skills, experiences, and abilities. 

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, she went on to experience similar cycles of abuse at the hands of professionals and institutions three separate times in her adulthood. Through overcoming her own painful experiences, she has gone on to develop an advanced and in-depth understanding of ethics, abuse tactics, and power dynamics and how they present themselves, both relationally and professionally. 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. She is preparing to start graduate school to obtain her Master of Social Work degree with a concentration in policy practice before pursuing a PhD in Social/Personality Psychology.