Kelly Lake is the sheriff of Carlton County in Minnesota. She is a lifetime resident of the area; raising her four children with her husband in the same place she grew up as a kid. Currently, they have two high schoolers and two college graduates. Following her own college graduation, Lake accepted a job working part-time as a Carlton County corrections officer in 1989. Additionally, she also worked a part-time position for the city of Cloquet. Soon, Lake discovered a deep passion for law enforcement. From 1991 to 2003, she rose through the ranks, becoming a patrol deputy and then a sergeant. Then, in 2005, the sheriff during that time retired before his term ended. As a result, Lake was appointed to serve as sheriff for the remaining part of the term.

In 2006, following the conclusion of the term, Lake decided to officially run for the position. Thus, Lake was elected as Carlton County’s first female sheriff and the second-ever elected, female sheriff in the state of Minnesota. She has now been serving in law enforcement for over 30 years in Carlton County. One of Lake’s favorite parts of her job is being able to make a difference in the community. Her main goal is to continue to positively serve the people of Carlton County.

About the Network

Our Civic Mentorship Network is a network comprised of rural civic leaders who serve as mentors for new women who are pursuing public service. This network provides a coordinated method for aspiring leaders to make the person-to-person connections that give access to resources that are valuable to enduring success. At 100 Rural Women, we find that success in recruiting more rural women to serve in public service leadership roles is essential to keeping our democracy strong.