Biography

Summers spent lifeguarding at the community pool in the small town where she grew up helped ignite Kailey's passion for helping others. Kailey understood keeping an eye out for others meant consistent focus and strong preparation, skills that translated to her work with families facing adversity.

Kailey joined the Willamette University Resilience Project which highlights the strength and grit of children with incarcerated parents. She turned from that experience to a volunteer position at the Oregon State Penitentiary for its Family First events -- opportunities for families to maintain connections despite a loved one's incarceration. Kailey spent a summer working closely with the Lifers Club inside the prison to research and develop a new parenting class program designed for incarcerated fathers.

Kailey produces and co-hosts the "Planting Seeds: Navigating Family Life and Re-entry After Incarceration" podcast which is based on the process of re-entry and the impact of the carceral system on family structures. She gained experience conducting small-scale qualitative research working with trans-serving nonprofits throughout the Pacific Northwest with a focus on the incarcerated trans population.

In her spare time, Kailey enjoys travelling, exploring the outdoors, and mastering any claw machine she comes across.