Preceded by David Travis Spouse(s) Dan Reed Name Kelda Roys Political party Democratic Party | Succeeded by Fred Clark Occupation entrepreneur, attorney Role Attorney | |
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Born June 24, 1979 (age 44)
Marshfield, Wisconsin ( 1979-06-24 ) Alma mater New York University and University of Wisconsin Law School Website CEO & Founder Kelda Helen Roys Residence Madison, Wisconsin, United States Education University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Wisconsin Law School, New York University | ||
Candidate breastfeeds in Wisconsin Governor campaign commercial - Daily Mail
Kelda Roys (born June 24, 1979) is an attorney, an entrepreneur, a real estate broker, and a former Democratic member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. She represented the 81st Assembly District from 2008 until 2013, and during the 2011-2013 session, served as Minority Caucus Chair. In September 2011, ran for Congress in Wisconsin's 2nd congressional district, a race she lost in August 2012. She left the Assembly when her second term ended in 2013.
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Early life and education
Kelda Helen Roys was born in Marshfield, Wisconsin, the oldest of four daughters. She attended public schools in Madison, Wisconsin and graduated from Madison East High School.
Roys attended New York University where she designed her own major in politics, drama, and cultural studies, and received a B.A. degree in 2000. She received a J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School, focusing on civil rights and international law, and was a participant in the Wisconsin Innocence Project.
Law
During and after college, Roys worked full time as a real estate agent at The Marketing Directors, Inc. During law school, she worked at several international law firms, including Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, and a firm in Istanbul, Turkey. After law school, she served for four years as the executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin.
Wisconsin State Assembly
In 2008, Roys won election to the Wisconsin State Assembly representing the 81st Assembly district, filling the seat left vacant by the retirement of Dave Travis, who had held the seat since 1983. She won a six-way Democratic primary with 30% of the vote and was unopposed in the general election.
After being reelected in 2010, Roys was chosen by her peers to serve as the Democratic Caucus Chair in the Assembly. Roys served as Vice-Chair of the Committee on Health and Healthcare Reform, and later served as ranking member on the Committee on Elections and Campaign Finance Reform and the Committee on Consumer Protection & Personal Privacy.
2012 Congressional election
In 2012, when Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin ran for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Herb Kohl, Roys left her Assembly seat to run for office in the open 2nd Congressional district. She lost to Mark Pocan in a four-candidate Democratic primary.
Business
In 2013, Roys founded a venture-backed real estate tech company, OpenHomes, which is a virtual real estate agency that helps homeowners sell their homes for less.
Roys has served on the boards of TEMPO Madison, Wisconsin Citizen Action, Wisconsin Women's Council, ACLU of Wisconsin, Madison Repertory Theater, Dane County Democratic Party, Sherman Neighborhood Association, Wisconsin Public Interest Law Foundation, and the State Bar of Wisconsin's Legal Services Committee.