Kristin Kelly was raised in Orange County, CA and Silver Spring, MD. She is a teacher, minister, advocate, and activist who is passionate about faith, people, and fighting for justice and peace. Her faith journey and passion for peace work began in her early teen years when she began to understand the interrelatedness between Church and community. She found herself desiring for the church to exist beyond the four walls of the sanctuary and become a living body that was present in the community. 

Kristin received her Bachelor's degree in Philosophy from Spelman College and served as president of S.K.I.R.T.S (Sisters Keeping it Real Through Service) an unconventional community service organization. After attending Spelman College, she attended Vanderbilt Divinity School where she studied Christian Social Ethics and Black Church Studies with a focus on Womanist theology and ethics through hip-hop. While at Vanderbilt Divinity, she submerged herself in a world that allowed her to engage in theological discourse while magnifying the trials and tribulations of the Christian community, especially in the areas of race, class, gender, and sexuality. After receiving her M.Div., Kristin returned home and attended and worked at her home church, Olive Branch Community Church, where she served as a young adult leader and assisted the pastor in figuring out strategies to better serve the youth and young adults of the community. 

In 2012, Kristin moved to Fort Worth, TX where she served as an Americorps VISTA and an after-school program coordinator for underserved communities. She has continued this work by serving on the board of G.O.S.S.I.P Girls, a mentoring program for girls ages 12-17. Currently, she is a member of Friendship-West Baptist Church where she serves as the Creative Director for the Boughton-Wells Center for Gender Justice and is a teacher for the Howard Thurman Bible Institute. Also, she is an English and AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) teacher at Young Men’s Leadership Academy.