Kelsey Koo is responsible for setting up appointments with people who have reached out to Mike for help with their finances and following up to ensure they’ve received everything they need. “No one gets lost or forgotten if they have contacted us,” Kelsey says. “We are real people working here, and we’re interested in getting to know our clients personally and providing them with the information they need to make informed decisions about their finances.”
Kelsey grew up in Fairfax, Virginia, a busy feeder city to Washington D.C. Like many people living in NOVA—short for Northern Virginia—her mother works for the U.S. government and commutes to D.C. and surrounding areas daily. She spent the first 18 years of her life in the area before leaving for college in Norfolk, where she stayed. She graduated from Old Dominion University with a bachelor’s degree in park, recreation and tourism management and is a CTRS® (certified therapeutic recreation specialist). She also regularly visits Washington D.C. to go to baseball games, museums, and national monuments like Arlington National Cemetery, where her grandfather is buried.
Before joining Ideas By Mike, Kelsey worked at an assisted living facility directing all its programs and activities. Although she loved her work, the pandemic was hard on her emotionally as so many of the elderly were lost to the virus. She is thrilled that in working with Mike, she still continues to help dozens of people, albeit in a different way.
She calls the Norfolk / Portsmouth area home. “I love spending time on the Hampton Roads beaches, and I’m there pretty much every other weekend. In fact, Kelsey became a “boat person” after meeting Shawn two and a half years ago. “I met him at a concert through a sorority sister, we just clicked and he became my best friend.” The couple got engaged on June 1st and they are currently searching for venues before finalizing a wedding date, which they hope will be in October of 2023. “It’s okay if we have a long engagement. I’m going to be in three weddings coming up, it’s going to be really busy—too busy right now for mine!” Kelsey laughs.
Kelsey adores dogs, and she and Shawn already have three of them: Boone, Norma Jean and Duke. “Boone, or Boo Boo as we call him, was Shawn’s pit bull. He was a rescue and the runt of the litter and Shawn nursed him back to health. Norma Jean is our French bulldog; I always wanted one and just got lucky that a breeder was getting out of the business. We got Duke, a Redbone Coonhound, on January 1st after our friend’s dog had 12 puppies. We weren’t planning on another one, but who can resist a puppy?”
In addition to beach-going, boating, wedding-planning, and dog-raising, Kelsey enjoys camping. There is a KOA campground on a private beach they call “Sunset beach” that is her favorite spot on the Eastern Shore. She grew up camping with her family, in fact the first time she went was when she was 3 months old and has loved it ever since.
Get to know Kelsey with a quick Q&A:
Favorite Movie: Sweet Home Alabama
Favorite Color: Turquoise
What’s the nerdiest thing you do in your spare time? Watching documentaries, LOVE them!
What’s one thing you are currently trying to make a habit of? Walking my dogs more throughout the week
Favorite season: The end of Summer into the beginning of Fall
What’s one word your friends would use to describe you? loyal
What’s your go-to karaoke song? Any Man of Mine by Shania Twain
What would we most likely find you doing on the weekend? at the beach, on a boat or hanging out with friends (or all three!!)
What makes you feel powerful? finishing an Orangetheory workout
