Kelley dedicated 25 years to serving as a law enforcement officer, primarily as a narcotics investigator within a Drug Task Force. Throughout her career, she handled a variety of narcotics cases and took on the role of evidence technician for the unit. Kelley also investigated pharmaceutical diversion and spent over a decade working undercover with various agencies.

Her experience includes five years of patrol duty for a local municipality, where she served on the SWAT team and acted as the domestic violence officer on her shift. She later joined the Sheriff’s Office, focusing primarily on sex crimes within the Criminal Investigations Division, and spent a year as a school resource officer.

Coming from a lineage of military service—her father is a Vietnam Combat Veteran, and both grandfathers served in World War II —Kelley carries a deep sense of duty and patriotism. After retiring from law enforcement, she pursued a degree in Christian counseling, concentrating on trauma and PTSD, particularly as it affects those who give selflessly in the line of duty.