Catholic Vote’s Reinhardt to be Academic Convocation Keynote
Kelsey Reinhardt, President and CEO of CatholicVote and co-founder of Zeale, will give the keynote address during the 2026 Academic Convocation at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. The event, set for September 1 in the Ralph Nolan Gymnasium, annually kicks off the academic year and officially welcomes the incoming freshman class. Faculty, staff, students and the public are invited to attend.
Reinhardt is a Catholic media executive with a compelling background that enables her to integrate theological insights, global advocacy, and innovative communication strategies into her wide-ranging endeavors. She joined CatholicVote in 2024 as Head of Media and Evangelization and was appointed as President and CEO in 2025. CatholicVote is a conservative, non-profit political advocacy group. Under Reinhardt’s guidance, the organization launched Zeale in January 2026. It is a digital platform designed to encourage Catholics, particularly younger audiences, to live their faith publicly and thoughtfully.
Born and raised in Gillette, Wyoming, Reinhardt excelled academically and athletically, attending the University of Notre Dame on a full basketball scholarship. Graduating magna cum laude in just three years, she began a career in Catholic public policy and evangelization, lobbying in Congress on behalf of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and later in parish and educational ministry.
Discerning a call to religious life after a rewarding opportunity to serve as a missionary in Nigeria, she spent nearly a decade with the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia, deepening her formation and commitment to the New Evangelization. After discerning a different vocation, she returned to public life, stepping into key leadership roles at EWTN News.
There, she played a key role in launching the first Arabic-language Catholic news agency in Iraq created to serve persecuted Christians in the region, while simultaneously overseeing five other news agencies in six languages across the globe. She also served as Interim Executive Director of Catholic News Agency.
Reinhardt holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theology from Notre Dame and a Master’s Degree in Theology from the Augustine Institute. She serves on the Alumni Advisory Board for the Augustine Institute and chairs the board of FIERCE Athlete, an organization created to “empower female athletes to thrive in their God-given identity and femininity.”
She and her husband, Matt, married in 2023. Together, they are passionate about helping Catholics and the world to find truth, goodness and joy in Christ.
Founded in 1858, Benedictine College is a Catholic, Benedictine, residential, liberal arts college located on the bluffs above the Missouri River in Atchison, Kansas. The school is honored to have received a top 10 ranking by U.S. News & World Report, to be ranked in the nation’s 10 most-recommended colleges by The Wall Street Journal, and named one of the top Catholic colleges in the nation by the Newman Guide. It prides itself on outstanding academics, extraordinary faith life, strong athletic programs, and an exceptional sense of community and belonging. Benedictine College is dedicated to Transforming Culture in America through its mission to educate men and women within a community of faith and scholarship.
