Kelly Juleson completed her undergraduate studies at Seton Hall University and continued her education at NYU in public health. She has nearly 20 years’ experience in policy and government relations, crisis management, relationship mapping, development, and strategic innovation.
Juleson is a former Connecticut State Representative, serving as the first woman from Connecticut’s 12th House District where she rose to Deputy Majority Leader. She was recognized by the Connecticut Diaper Bank as Legislator of the Year in both 2015 and 2016 for eliminating the tax on baby diapers and feminine hygiene products. She was awarded the Chris Murphy Award in 2016 and as Legislative Champion by the Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance. She is a 2011 graduate of the Campaign School at Yale University.
Juleson has co-led The Governor’s Prevention Partnership since 2020 where she has been instrumental in working with the Governor and other elected officials to develop strategic initiatives to respond to community need.
Recently, she architected and oversaw the implementation of a $1.1 million community project focused on public awareness and prevention: Prevention Starts with YOU!, aimed at teaching the community to “do the little things every single day to help the young people in your life make the right decisions for their future.” Juleson helped shape Connecticut’s recreational adult-use cannabis bill by presenting strong equity and prevention provisions that ended up included in final passage.
In July, Juleson secured nearly $2 million from Connecticut’s Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee to supply Connecticut communities with drug deactivation pouches and prevention information. Juleson regularly appears as a prevention spokesperson in the Connecticut media market, has presented to the Food and Drug Administration, and at the Rx & Illicit Drug Summit and CADCA’s Midyear Institute. She was appointed to CADCA’s Coalition Advisory Council in 2024.
She was recognized in 2020 for her transformational leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic with Hartford Business Journal’s prestigious 40 under 40 award.
About The Governor’s Prevention Partnership
Connecticut based The Governor’s Prevention Partnership is a statewide nonprofit, nonpartisan organization co-chaired by the Governor of Connecticut and a business leader that is focused on youth substance misuse prevention. The organization was founded as a public-private partnership in 1989 to address the negative impact drugs were having on the workplace; for 35 years, every Governor of every political affiliation has served in the co-chair role. Over the last four years, the organization has shifted its approach to serving the community with a dual leadership structure with co-presidents. This unique model has created unprecedented growth in revenue and staffing. The Partnership is Connecticut’s affiliate of MENTOR and Partnership for Drug-Free Kids; it is also a member of CADCA.
