Yolonda Kelsor

Yolonda L. Kelsor, M.S., APSS, CPRS, Recovery Ambassador. Yolonda is a retired Educator, turned Certified Peer Recovery Specialist with over 40 years of being a Life-long Learner. Yolonda began her own Recovery journey after a debilitating injury to her back prevented her from continuing in the classroom. Yolonda has been a Volunteer for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) for 19 years. She is a Peer Recovery Specialist for the Recovery Center of Hamilton County. She has been a Volunteer Leader for the Council on Aging of Southwest Ohio. She is currently the Lead Consultant for the Sharing Hope Program that offers Community Conversations for/by/and about Black/African Ancestry and Immigrant Communities.

This Kentucky native, from the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains now resides in Southwest, OH. She is a proud mother of two biological adult children, a host of adopted children, grandchildren, and three granddogs. She is a family member and a person with lived experience.

Yolonda has received several awards for her work in the BIPOC Community. October 3, 2020, she received the NAMI Southwest Ohio Award in Excellence in honor of Angela Ostholthoff, Outstanding Peer Leader. In June 2024, Yolonda received the NAMI National Multicultural Outreach Award. On May 10, 2025, Yolonda received the ‘Duffy’ Award for Dedication and Devotion in grateful recognition of exemplary volunteerism from NAMI Southwest Ohio. Yolonda’s motto is “Lift others as I climb so my living will not be in vain.