The Life of Kelly Ann

Kelly Ann Booth was born on an Air Force base in Wilmington, North Carolina. She grew up in the several states throughout the country her family moved before they landed in Utah in 1988.

It was a homecoming for Kelly Ann’s dad, Lew, who was born and raised in American Fork, Utah, the son of an Air Force pilot. As for Kelly Ann’s mom, well, Janice learned that the daughter of a steel mill worker really could find a home in the rich heritage Utah had to offer. Kelly Ann is the second-oldest of six, and her brothers and sisters, save one who moved her family back east to Pennsylvania, still live in Utah with their families.

Raised in a middle-class suburban home, and being the daughter of an Air Force Captain (father) and Lieutenant (mother), Kelly Ann’s childhood was happy yet disciplined. She was active in high school athletics, community service, and church activities.

The work ethic instilled in Kelly Ann by her parents as a youth paid off. She worked a full-time job to put herself through college, earning a Bachelor of Science in Political Science, and her Juris Doctor at the University of Utah. Kelly Ann excelled in her studies and received both the Associated Students Leadership Scholarship and the J.D. Williams Scholarship.

While attending the U, Kelly Ann developed an intense interest in politics, government, and community. Her political science classes lead her to an internship with former State Senator Paula Julander. While interning in the State Senate, Kelly Ann began her friendship with longtime friend Karen Hale, who first taught her that being a Democrat and a member of the predominant Utah religion was not only acceptable, but meaningful.

The mentoring Senator Julander provided led to a lifelong commitment to democratic ideals and public service. Senator Julander taught Kelly Ann the importance of always responding to the inquiries of constituents before finishing work for the day, and that listening is always more important than telling someone what you think they want to hear.

When Kelly Ann returned to campus following her internship, she began complimenting her didactic studies with organizing her community to get involved with government. First launching an aggressive voter registration drive, Kelly Ann registered over 1,500 students to vote; her efforts were recognized by the National Student Association as having both the highest increase in student voter registration as well as the highest increase in student voter turnout in the same year that Utah sent Jim Matheson to Congress.

Kelly Ann drew great strength in those early days from seeing her colleagues and friends getting active and bringing their talents and experience to bear in their communities. During the 2001 Legislative Session, Kelly Ann became active in developing and directing Higher Education policy. She reached out to the University administration, Board of Regents representatives, and Legislators to advocate for competitive faculty salaries, capital funding for the U’s Marriot Library, and lower student tuition.

In the basement of her parent’s house, Kelly Ann drafted the language of a bill that would later be passed into law as “Truth in Tuition,” which requires Utah’s public college and university administrations advertise and hold hearings to discuss proposed increases in student tuition.

After earning her undergraduate degree, Kelly Ann moved to District 28 while completing her Juris Doctorate degree from the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah. When the academic rigors of law school began to lessen near the end of her tenure, Kelly Ann again became active in community service.

In 2005, with an interest in women’s issues she became a Victim Advocate for the Rape Recovery Center’s Hospital Response Team. Dealing with such traumatic experiences one-on-one has provided her immense empathy and understanding for those in our community that need a voice. During that same time, Kelly Ann got involved with the NCCJ, now known as the Inclusion Center for Community and Justice – A non-profit social justice organization—to advocate for a diversity of community and ideas by providing guidance with legal issues and sitting on their Board of Directors.

Kelly Ann has worked as an attorney in private practice specializing in commercial litigation. In January of 2007, Kelly Ann was appointed by Salt Lake County Auditor, Jeff Hatch to serve as a Special Assistant dealing primary with intergovernmental affairs and legislative policy analysis. Kelly Ann primarily practices law in her spare time helping friends and colleagues, and providing pro bono legal services to underrepresented people in the community.