Kellee Knighten Hough

Creator of Vote Heaux™ civic engagement initiative

Kellee Knighten Hough is an intellectual interrogator, defiant debater, and champion of common sense. A native Louisianian & HBCU graduate, she is very Southern, very Black, very much her mother's child, and very proud to be each of those things.

Kellee graduated from Xavier University of Louisiana with a degree in Biology PreMed, but decided to explore the path of performing arts instead of medical school (she maintains that the medical field is still in her back pocket as a Plan B). She auditioned and was accepted into the American Musical & Dramatic Academy (AMDA) in Manhattan, completed her post graduate work there in 15 months, and was performing on a National Tour three weeks after she graduated. Over the past two decades she has performed on stages all across North America, most notably earning a Helen Hayes Award nomination of Outstanding Supporting Actress for her role in the historic Ford's Theatre presentation of "The Civil War."

Kellee has had an appetite for digesting American politics from a very young age, which she attributes to her grandmother. Their daily routine of having coffee & reading the paper planted a seed of civic curiosity that blossomed into full-flowered civic duty. She knows there are many moving parts to our legislature & democracy, but the most important component is the right to vote. After the 2016 presidential election, she realized just how dire the state of American voter participation was. The colorful, spirited political diatribes she posted for years on social media (which also landed her a few writing gigs) usually ended with a plea for everyone to "Vote, Heaux!"--the -eaux spelling a nod to her Louisiana roots. The plea evolved into a hashtag, which has now evolved into a brand focused on raising voter awareness and participation in this country.

Kellee believes in science, fact, truth, love, and Jesus (the Brown one that said "all these religious rules are for the birds, just love God & each other, dummies"). She thinks most issues can be resolved when those five things are PROPERLY applied to the solution. She is a Silver Soror of the best Black Greek Letter Organization ever created, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, having belonged for over 25 years. Kellee is blessed beyond measure to have the support of her husband, Reverend Dr. Horace A. Hough, Pastor, Educator, published author, and her #ColemanLove partner in crime. She is also a card carrying member of the Beyhive and is VERY suspicious of any human who does not like Beyoncé, because...why?