Kelsey Rode is a connector and organizer whose love language is community. Kelsey grew up in western Massachusetts and developed a passion for statewide advocacy and public policy out of a desire to draw more resources and recognition for people in the westernmost region of the state. 

Kelsey formerly worked for State Representative Mary S. Keefe (D-Worcester) as her legislative director and House staff administrator for the bicameral Criminal Justice Reform Caucus. Prior to her time in the House of Representatives, she interned for former State Senator Adam G. Hinds, supervised prison literacy programs, completed a year of service in Philadelphia, and worked as a zip line canopy tour guide. She serves as the Boston event coordinator for SheJumps, a nonprofit organization that creates programs to encourage women and girls to participate in outdoor activities. She also serves on the board of the Philadelphia-based nonprofit organization Augustinian Defenders of the Rights of the Poor, and on the Villanova University Public Administration Department’s diversity, equity, and inclusion advisory council. 

Kelsey holds an Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts from Greenfield Community College, Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and a Master of Public Administration from Villanova University. She is an avid runner, hiker, and enjoys the rest of her time in community with her loved ones and cherished novels.