Jenna Kelly graduated with honors from Coastal Carolina University in 2009, with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a minor in Pre-Law. Ms. Kelly graduated from Florida Coastal School of Law in 2012 where she was a member of the school's nationally ranked moot court team. Ms. Kelly competed in multiple national competitions such as the Frederick Douglas Moot Court Competition, where she was awarded the Best Petitioner Brief award, and the Elon Billings, Exum, and Frye Competition where she advanced as a semifinalist. Ms. Kelly was awarded the 3rd best Oral Advocate Award at that competition. Ms. Kelly was actively involved in the Southern Region Black Law Students Association (NBLASA) and served as the director for the 2011 NBLSA Thurgood Marshal Mock Trial Competition. She has spent her career advocating for the disenfranchised. Prior to becoming an assistant federal defender, Ms. Kelly worked as an assistant public defender, Florida's Fifth Judicial Circuit serving Lake, Sumter, Citrus, and Hernando counties. During her time there, she defended clients accused of major felonies including offenses against children and homicides. Since 2020, she has served as the inaugural Chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee for the Federal Defender's Office of the Middle District of Florida, and has helped to advance Office's mission of celebrating and promoting diversity in executing our job.