Ford Opportunity Scholar alumna Kelli Roesch is one tough lady! Kelli grew up in a small, blue-collar town in Indiana around folks who carved out a living with bare hands, scraping to get by. Her humble upbringing gave her the tenacious work ethic she uses today as the Acting Assistant Public Affairs Officer for the Portland VA Medical Center.

A Navy veteran herself, Kelli has been working at the VA Medical Center since October of 2010 and was hired to serve two departments: MyHealtheVet and Public Affairs. MyHealtheVet is a web-based program where veterans can view their personal health information, order prescriptions online, and communicate with their doctors via Secure Messaging. In Public Affairs, Kelli is responsible for internal and external communication. This also includes taking pictures, plus managing Facebook/Twitter and web pages, among other things.

Kelli approaches work from a woman veteran perspective and feels that it is her unwritten obligation to always represent veterans. Roughly about 30% of VA employees nationwide are veterans, so many VA employees have not been in the military. She strives to always remember that veterans are from a variety of age groups, backgrounds, military experiences, education levels, and of course, are both genders.

In 2002, Kelli was a single parent in her mid-30’s and decided to take the courageous step of going to college to increase her chances of being self-sufficient. She attended Portland Community College for two years and then was awarded as a Ford Opportunity Scholar and transferred to Lewis and Clark College, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in communication in 2006. After receiving her degree, she went from enlisted in the Navy to an officer, which is an uncommon transition. Kelli credits her bachelor’s degree for allowing her to get her dream job with the VA and to become a commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy Reserves, recently earning the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade. Being an officer holds a lot of responsibility and there are expectations to set an example to enlisted sailors, but also to make difficult decisions.

Kelli loves to travel and has been to New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Spain, Monaco, Morocco, Italy, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Kuwait, Qatar, and Antarctica. Interestingly, she was in Tokyo when the big earthquake hit this past year. Luckily, Kelli was unharmed. Kelli also likes to volunteer as a member of the Beaverton Woman's Club, a philanthropic group that raises money to give back to their community. Kelli’s three teenagers are the joy of her life: Chelsea 19, attending Hampshire College; Chloe 17, attending Portland Community College; and Bryce 14, a freshman in high school. Kelli has definitely passed on her value of education to her family and no doubt has also passed on her adventurous spirit!