Kelly Kautz has spent more than 20 years using her voice to stand up for people who too often go unheard — children, families, and communities pushed to the margins.

 

A respected attorney and fierce advocate, Kelly’s legal work has focused on juvenile court, where she is often the voice for voiceless children navigating abuse, neglect, and systems that too often fail them. She has worked to bring affordable housing to Gwinnett through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program and has served as an educational advocate, fighting to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline and keep kids supported, not sidelined.

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But Kelly’s advocacy hasn’t stopped in the courtroom.

 

As the first female Mayor of Snellville and the only Democrat, Kelly made it her mission to open doors- especially for communities that had long been excluded. Kelly stood up for equity and inclusion- and paid a price for it. She worked to diversify city leadership, but when Kelly hired the city’s first African American City Clerk, the two of them were locked out of City Hall. Instead of backing down, Kelly stood up. She challenged Republican leadership, took her case to court, and won — all the way to the Georgia Supreme Court. That moment defined her leadership: when voices are silenced, Kelly stands up, speaks out, and refuses to be pushed aside.

 

Her commitment to advocacy is deeply personal.

 

Kelly is a survivor of domestic violence and a single mother. Her son lives with OCD as a result of the traumas he experienced as a young child. When Kelly tried to find him the treatment he needed here in Georgia, she learned that there were no resources available. Despite being an attorney and a former mayor, she couldn’t get her child the help he deserved. Ultimately, she was forced to take her son outside of Georgia to save him.

 

That experience changed her forever. That experience took her voice away- and then gave it back.

 

No parent should feel powerless. No child should be denied care. And no survivor should feel invisible. Kelly’s journey as a mother- and her fight for her son- is one of the reasons she is running for office: to be a strong voice for single parents, survivors, and children whose needs are ignored by broken systems.

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Kelly’s roots in District 94 run deep on both the Dekalb and Gwinnett sides of the district. She was born and raised in the district and chose it as the place to raise her own son.

 

For over a decade, her former husband served as a teacher, coach, and videographer in Dekalb County at Lithonia and Tucker High Schools, and Kelly was right there alongside him- not as an observer, but as a hands-on team mom for the wrestling programs at both schools. She spent countless hours showing up for practices, matches, organizing tournaments, rebuilding wrestling rooms and overall supporting families and built real relationships within the district she now seeks to represent.

 

Kelly was born and raised in Gwinnett County and is a graduate of Brookwood High School. Kelly learned early the importance of hard work, integrity, and service from her parents- her mom who was a teacher and coach at Lilburn Middle School and St. John Neumann Catholic School and her father who managed a local hardware store in the district and coached at Berkmar High School. Those values shaped her path to becoming a Double Dawg at the University of Georgia with both her Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and her Juris Doctorate (law degree), an adjunct professor teaching courses such as ethics, leadership, and judicial processes at local colleges and a lifelong advocate for her community.

 

Kelly has remained rooted in the community-coaching youth football, baseball and basketball, serving as the president of a local PTA, mentoring students, supporting at-risk youth, and working alongside families when they needed help most. Her leadership style has always been the same: listen first, show up, and act.

 

Throughout her life, Kelly has used her voice to make change — whether in a courtroom, a classroom, City Hall, or on the sidelines supporting young people. Now, she’s ready to bring that voice to the State House.

 

Kelly Kautz is running for Georgia State House District 94 to be a strong, effective voice for our community. She believes leadership means standing up, speaking out, and delivering real results.

 

Stand up. Speak out. Use your voice. Vote Kelly Kautz for State House- and help ensure our community has the voice it deserves.