Tressa Kelly

Tressa Kelly is the Arkansas State University System first lady. She is a champion of empowering students to find their passion—and themselves—during their college and university experience. This is Kelly’s fourth time as acting first spouse and first time as first spouse of a university system. Kelly earned a Ph.D. in communication with a focus on rhetorical studies from Wayne State University and received her master’s degree in communication and a bachelor’s degree in communication and theatre arts from Eastern Michigan University. Kelly coached collegiate speech and debate for more than a decade, and at the University of West Florida, she served as the director of speech and debate and basic course director for the public speaking course. Having taught for 24 years at the collegiate level in an array of undergraduate and graduate courses, Kelly always felt at home in higher education.