ABOUT KELLI
WHERE I COME FROM
I was born to Kevin Krill and Karen Null and was raised in Graves County. My father retired from General Tire, and my mother retired from teaching. My stepmother, Mary Krill, retired from the hospital, and my stepfather, Dennis Null, practices law in Graves County. I graduated from Mayfield High School before attending Murray State University where I completed a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology. My husband, Dave, works for Kentucky Emergency Management, and we have three boys.
CAREER
I was employed at Four Rivers Behavioral Health from 2000 to 2007 as an associate, intake coordinator, case manager, and clinician/therapist for those with substance use and related behavioral disorders. In 2007, I was hired by the Kentucky State Department of Corrections, Division of Mental Health and Substance Abuse (now known as the Division of Addictions Services), as a social service clinician. This position afforded me the rare and excellent opportunity to help criminal offenders participate in various substance abuse treatment programs. When I was promoted to program administrator, I had the opportunity to visit jails and institutions across the state to audit their Substance Abuse Programs. During this time, I decided to take a short break from professional work to stay home and be a full-time mom. Approximately a year later, I was offered the chance to be Clinical Program Director for the Substance Abuse Program (SAP) at Fulton County Detention Center, a leadership role I kept and enjoyed for over five years. These positions have allowed me to help assist inmates to participate in rehabilitative services so they could reintegrate into our community as positive, productive, and purposeful citizens. My vocation and substantial experience in correctional facilities over the years has afforded me a deep knowledge and philosophy of the importance of offering offenders effective educational, rehabilitative, and occupational opportunities while simultaneously serving justice, and maintaining the safety and security of inmates, correctional staff, and the community as a whole. In addition to my professional and practical experience, I am also blessed to have had the opportunity to teach college-level psychology courses for several universities, both in-person and online.
Experience Meets Opportunity
Leadership, Fiscal Responsibility, and Professionalism
Having years of supervisory experience in correctional and clinical settings, I understand the importance of cultivating and caring for a knowledgeable, dependable, motivated, and cohesive staff. Over two decades of professional experience working directly with those involved in the criminal justice system as well as those managing a successful detention centers has given me a unique perspective on the type of good leadership and programs a well-run jail demands.
As an elected employee of the County, I understand that it is the duty and necessity of the Jailer to continuously and cooperatively communicate with other County officials to ensure the execution of a responsible fiscal budget that benefits all and financially burdens no one, especially the hard-working taxpayers of Graves County.
One of my primary and immediate goals will be improving relations and partnerships with other regional jails and service providers to ensure our county maximizes cost-effectiveness and efficient savings. I feel such an approach is critical in times of budget restraints, economic uncertainty and the taxpayer's just and certain mandate that all of the responsibilities of elected officials are undertaken with utmost frugality and the wise stewardship of our county resources. Moreover, I feel that fiscal responsibility is not contradictory of taking good care of both jail staff and inmates. On the contrary, a well-managed jail that adheres to good budgeting and fiscal austerity can often produce profitability that allows highly trained and productive staff to earn the type living wages the job deserves. The bottom line is I will endeavor to make our jail profitable for the benefit of all: the taxpayer, our jail staff, and, ultimately, the inmates themselves through better care and rehabilitation.
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