Kelsey Solomon

Ms. Kelsey A. Solomon was appointed by Governor Bill Lee to serve as a Faculty Regent from 2025 to 2027. She serves as a non-voting member from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026. She will then transition to the voting Faculty Regent seat beginning July 1, 2026.

Since 2016, she teaches composition and literature courses at Walters State Community College (WSCC) where she is an Associate Professor of English. She is especially dedicated to teaching dual enrollment students in area high schools to support their college readiness and career mobility with the help of Open Educational Resources [OER] and High-Impact Practices [HIP].

Ms. Solomon holds an Associate’s degree in English from WSCC, a Bachelor’s degree in English (Creative Writing) and Philosophy from Carson-Newman University, and a Master’s degree in English from East Tennessee State University. Her thesis focused on paradigm shifts beyond monolithic stereotypes and toward agency and preservation in Appalachian literature.

She is currently serving her second term as Faculty Senate President at WSCC. In this role, she’s been proactive in academic strategic planning, revising faculty and student evaluations, and collaborating with higher administration on the organization of Academic Affairs. Previously, she served as a OER Campus Facilitator for the TBR and chaired the Mildred Haun Conference, an annual festival that celebrates Appalachian writers and hosts free generative workshops for the community.

In her spare time, she writes poetry. Her most recent publications can be found in Untelling, The Red Branch Review, The Mildred Haun Review, and Still.

She lives in Hamblen County, where she was born and raised, with her mackerel tabby cat named Curley.