Kelsey K. Coletta

Kelsey is a bilingual clinical social worker, working in community mental health and substance use disorder treatment. She is a graduate of Rhode Island College and Simmons University School of Social Work. She was previously a Rotary International Exchange student and spent 11 months in Chile as a teen. She lives in Johnston, RI with her husband and their two dogs and two cats. She is running because she believes that every voice in her district deserves to be heard; her district has not had a Democratic primary since 2006 and has not been represented by a woman since 2004.

Kelsey has years of experience in advocacy and policy, including the drafting of legislation to address the rape kit backlog that was ultimately passed in June 2022. She is a fierce advocate of reproductive rights and harm reduction to support folks living with addiction. The daughter of a public school teacher and construction project manager, Kelsey was raised to value community and public service.

Kelsey is looking to address access to vital mental health and substance use treatment, access to affordable healthcare (including capping prescription drug prices), protecting worker’s rights, and ensuring the right to quality education for all children in Rhode Island.