Kelsey Lyles joins in November as the Director of Health Repair at BARHII. Kelsey will lead the development of our Reparations and Health efforts. Our Reparations and Health efforts seek to end the decade-long difference in life expectancy experienced by African Americans by removing and repairing the structural racism that causes the disparities.

Kelsey will work at the intersection of the reparations movement, public health, and law and policy to generate energy for health promotion reparations movements. Kelsey joins BARHII from the State Bar of California. Previously, she served as Health Equity Program Manager at The Greenlining Institute, leading the Health Equity team’s workforce equity and inclusion advocacy efforts.

Growing up in Chicago, she felt a strong commitment to social justice at a young age. Kelsey has extensive experience in public policy, cross-sector collaboration, and stakeholder engagement strategies.

Prior to Greenlining, Kelsey was an Equity Specialist at the California Strategic Growth Council and managed a racial justice capacity-building program for California State employees, with participation from 19 departments and agencies. Kelsey was also a member of the California Health in All Policies staff team, where she led multi-sector State government work groups, developed equity-focused work plans, provided health equity training, and promoted a culture shift towards equity and inclusion in State Government. Kelsey received her bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Community Development from Howard University.