Born in Virginia Beach Virginia and raised by a single working mother, Kelli always knew she was an actor. She grew up singing in the church choir and going to after school performing arts schools, including the Governor's School for the Arts in high school. She has taken voice lessons since childhood, originally trained by a retired Juilliard professor in opera. Now she sings everything from classical to rock on Broadway. She has also been working in TV and film since the age of 15, driving back and forth to Wilmington N.C. and New York City for auditions. Her first jobs were shot locally in Virginia Beach (allowing her to remain in school) and included everything from hosting a pilot of a new music video show for CBN to several "reenactment" films for TLC and the Discovery Channel. She attended The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA for music theater and is now a primary New York City resident splitting her time between stage and film.