
Office of Justice Initiatives
Welcome Administrator Kelly
In August 2021, Attorney Pamela Williams Kelly was appointed as Administrator for the Office of Justice Initiatives and serves as the Criminal Justice Coordinator. Kelly manages a staff that is responsible for over $5 million in state and federal funds that are allocated for youth diversion, youth mental health, opioid addiction recovery and family resources. In her role as Criminal Justice Coordinator, Kelly works to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the local criminal justice system.
For over eleven years, Attorney Kelly practiced law locally in General Sessions, Circuit and Chancery Courts. She also represented clients in federal immigration court and immigration detention facilities from Tennessee to Texas. She was a 2020 finalist for the Memphis Bar Journal’s Best of the Bar Award, received the 2013 Celebrate Pro Bono Award from the Memphis Bar Association, and the 2021 Empowerment of Women and Girls Award from the National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women.
Attorney Kelly, a native of Mississippi, earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Mississippi State University and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from The Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law at The University of Memphis.
Pamela Williams Kelly, Esq. Administrator, Office of Justice Initiatives and Criminal Justice Coordinator