Kelda Roys is an attorney

Attorney at law

An attorney at law in the United States is a practitioner in a court of law who is legally qualified to prosecute and defend actions in such court on the retainer of clients. Alternative terms include counselor and lawyer...

 and a Democratic Party

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 member of the Wisconsin State Assembly

Wisconsin State Assembly

The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin....

, representing the 81st Assembly District since her election in 2008. In 2010, Roys was elected Assembly Democratic Caucus Chair by her Democratic colleagues in the Assembly.

Early Life and Education

Kelda Helen Roys was born in Marshfield, Wisconsin

Marshfield, Wisconsin

Marshfield is a city in Marathon and Wood counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the largest city in Wood County. The small portion of the city that extends into Marathon County is part of the Wausau Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 18,800 at the 2000 census. Marshfield is...

 and is the oldest of four daughters. She attended public schools on Madison

Madison, Wisconsin

Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....

’s North side and graduated from Madison East High School

Madison East High School

Madison East High School is one of four comprehensive four-year high schools in Madison, Wisconsin. It was established in 1922, making it the oldest high school still operating in Madison. The school mascot is the "Purgolder", an animal resembling a puma. Madison East athletes compete in the WIAA...

. Her family remains in Madison, her parents are Krista Roys, a social worker and stepfather William O'Connor, an environmental lawyer; and her father, prosecutor and former district attorney Arthur Thexton.

An attorney, Rep. Roys received her J.D. magna cum laude from the University of Wisconsin Law School, focusing on civil rights and international law. Kelda received her B.A. magna cum laude from New York University in Politics, Drama, and Cultural Studies.

Career

During and after college, Rep. Roys worked full time as a real estate agent at The Marketing Directors, Inc.. After Law School, Rep. Roys served for four years as the Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin. Under her leadership, Wisconsin passed the first pro-choice law in three decades, the Compassionate Care for Rape Victims Act.

Rep. Roys is an active community leader, having served on the boards of the Dane County Democratic Party, Sherman Neighborhood Association, ACLU of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Public Interest Law Foundation, and the State Bar of Wisconsin's Legal Services Committee, which aims to improve access to legal services for low-income people.

Wisconsin State Assembly

In 2008, Kelda Helen Roys succeeded lawmaker Dave Travis in the 81st Assembly district, a seat he previously held for 30 years. She won the Democratic primary over 5 other distinguished Democratic candidates and was the only female candidate.

After being reelected in 2010, Rep. Roys was chosen by her peers in the Wisconsin State Assembly to serve as the Democratic Caucus Chair in only her second term.

An expert in women’s health policy, Rep. Roys served as Vice-Chair of the Committee on Health & Healthcare Reform, and she currently serves as Ranking Member on the Committee on Elections & Campaign Finance Reform and the Committee on Consumer Protection & Personal Privacy. Her record of legislative success includes authoring legislation on reproductive rights, health care, consumer protection, children’s health, government accountability, workplace safety, economic justice, fiscal responsibility, election reform, and access to the courts, among other areas.

Personal life

Kelda’s partner and husband, Dan Reed, is a small business owner and strategy consultant. They live in a historic farmhouse in Madison with his two daughters, Erin (11) and Emily (7).

External links

• Wisconsin Assembly - Representative Kelda Helen Roys official government website
• Campaign contributions at Wisconsin Democracy Campaign