Public service • Education • Civil rights
About Ryan Michael Kelly
I’m running for Congress because I believe people in New Jersey’s 3rd District deserve representation that is serious, honest, and focused on solving real problems.
At the core of this campaign is a simple idea: government should help people live with dignity.
I’m not running because politics needs more noise. I’m running because too many people feel like nobody is listening anymore.
Public service started early
I was first elected to municipal office in New Jersey at age 22, serving on the Lake Como Borough Council. That experience taught me that public service means listening, understanding budgets, answering questions, and being accountable for decisions that affect a community.
I later left New Jersey to attend law school, but the lessons of local government stayed with me: show up, explain what you are doing, and remember who you work for.
Education, teaching, and continuing to learn
After local government, I continued my education while teaching at colleges in New Jersey, including Mercer County Community College.
That is also where I met my wife, Catherine. We were both teaching in different academic programs and eventually began building our lives together while continuing our graduate and doctoral studies.
My academic background shaped how I approach public problems: listen carefully, study the evidence, be honest about tradeoffs, and focus on what actually works. I have continued that work as a doctoral student, including presenting my research internationally.
Service across generations
Service was part of my family story long before I entered public life. My grandmother, Nelle Kelly, served as a U.S. Army nurse at the 382nd Station Hospital in Korea shortly after World War II. My father spent more than 27 years on active duty in the United States Air Force, retiring as a colonel after a career in space and missile operations that included senior leadership assignments at NORAD and U.S. Space Command. Both are buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Growing up in a military family gave me an appreciation not only for those who serve, but for the families who live with deployments, uncertainty, and sacrifice.
Finding my own path of service
At Colorado State University, I participated in Air Force ROTC, where I was introduced to Civil Air Patrol. I began volunteering with CAP in 2002, beginning a relationship with public-service missions that has continued for more than two decades.
That work has included emergency services, preparedness, organizational leadership, and youth programs. Along with teaching and local government, it reinforced my belief that leadership is about responsibility.
Military and Civil Air Patrol affiliations are presented for biographical purposes only and do not imply endorsement by the Department of Defense, Department of the Air Force, Civil Air Patrol, or any other government or affiliated organization.
Serving servicemembers and military families
While attending law school, I volunteered with the Service to Soldiers program, supporting legal-service efforts for servicemembers and military families. I also served as vice president of the school's JAG Corps Club.
Those experiences are part of why supporting veterans, servicemembers, and military families is personal to me. Supporting those who serve means keeping the commitments made to them and exercising responsible leadership about when our country asks Americans to go to war.
Civil rights and homeland security
In 2012, I joined the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, where I spent nearly 13 years supporting civil-rights, civil-liberties, workforce, and oversight work.
That experience reinforced a principle I still believe deeply: security and constitutional rights are not competing values. Government is strongest when it protects both public safety and the rights and dignity of the people it serves.
Operation Allies Welcome
During Operation Allies Welcome, I supported the federal effort assisting Afghan evacuees after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
A child's drawing from that period and a DHS Secretary's Commendation remind me that government work is ultimately about people — and that public servants can make an enormous difference when institutions are focused on a humane mission.
Why I'm running now
After years in local government, education, volunteer service, and federal civil-rights work, I came back to New Jersey believing Congress needs more people who understand both how government works and what happens when it stops listening.
I have seen government at the local and federal levels, from constituent concerns and classrooms to civil-rights oversight and humanitarian operations. Those experiences taught me that institutions can do enormous good when they are accountable, competent, and focused on the people they serve — and real harm when they are not.
I'm running because affordability, healthcare, civil rights, education, infrastructure, war powers, and trust in government affect real families every day. I want to bring practical experience, independent judgment, and a willingness to listen back into the work of representation.
Independent representation
I am running as an Independent because my loyalty should be to the people of NJ-03, not to party leadership, consultants, or political organizations.
Being Independent does not mean having no values. It means listening, explaining where I stand, following the evidence, and working with people when it helps the district.
The conversation continues
I do not expect every voter to agree with me on every issue. I do expect elected officials to be accessible, candid, and willing to listen.
If you have a question, concern, disagreement, or idea for NJ-03, I want to hear it.
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