Holding a PhD in sociology from the University at Albany, Reese Kelly serves as the assistant vice president of diversity, community, and inclusion at Champlain College. As part of his responsibilities, Reese Kelly leads a student affairs, diversity and inclusion team to implement initiatives to optimize student success by bolstering an inclusive community at the college. Since joining Champlain College in 2018, he has developed and led trainings on implicit bias, Title IX, and opened the college's first interfaith room.

In addition to his work at Champlain College, Reese Kelly has helped to support diversity and inclusion efforts in the community. From 2017 to 2018, he served as a patient advocate for the Trans Healthcare Pathway project in the gynecology department at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, a project he helped to found. Through the initiative, he conducted and analyzed qualitative research on the experiences trans men have when seeking gynecological services. Based on his findings, Dr. Kelly helped staff, residents, and medical providers resolve gaps in the health care offerings within the gynecology department for trans patients.