Meet Kelsey!
Hello! My name is Kelsey. I grew up in Groton, Massachusetts – think cows, farms, and a lot of trails for biking, walking, and exploring nature. Growing up, I spent every summer at my Nana’s beach house in North Hampton, NH, with my brothers. During the school year, my studies, field hockey, and exploring the huge woodlands behind my house was all that mattered! Post high school, I got my Bachelor’s Degree in Communications and a minor in Psychology at Emmanuel College in Boston, MA. I stayed in Boston for a couple of years, living with my best friend and the city life. It was amazing, and ultimately started my HR career as an Administrative Assistant as I slowly took on more HR responsibilities. I couldn’t imagine a different career path!
Tell us a surprising fact about yourself…
I’ve always loved to write, especially poetry. I’m slowly working towards a huge personal goal of creating and publishing my first poetry book under a pseudonym.
If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
I would want the superpower to communicate with all animals – mammals, birds, insects, fish, etc. I’m extremely passionate about all animals and believe it’s our obligation as humans to treat all wildlife with respect and compassion. To have the ability to communicate with them directly would allow us as humans to better serve the Earth and live in a symbiotic world with them.
What are some things you enjoy doing outside of work?
Outside of work, I love to immerse myself in nature and new activities. I try to get my outside-of-work creative juices flowing, and that looks like:
1. LOTS of nature walks, camping, and hikes!
There are so many beautiful places near me, and I try to do at least 3 new hikes a month on the weekends.
2. *Trying* to play the ukulele – I’m self-taught, but it’s fun learning new chords and painfully trying to sing along.
3. Writing poetry and short stories, often inspired by my surroundings. I’ll take my writing notebook to the beach and listen to some music or take in the scenery for inspiration.
4. Exploring new restaurants and different cuisines. I love food and don’t shy away from trying unique dishes. I have a running Excel spreadsheet with every restaurant I’ve eaten at in Santa Barbara since moving here, and the list grows almost every week (my wallet doesn’t like this hobby of mine).
5. Working out has been a huge part of my life most recently, and I’ve focused on moving my body every day and lifting weights. It’s the best stress reliever, and has helped me get stronger with trying to surf the California waves!
Tell us about your role at Rhymetec…
I’ve been at Rhymetec for almost a full year, and lead our people initiatives as our People Operations Specialist.
For Rhymetec and our employees, I manage:
- Talent Acquisition processes from curating job descriptions, building candidate pipelines, and conducting the recruiting process from initial phone screen to onboarding new hires
- Internal HR compliance
- Implementation of HR technologies and manage existing HR technologies
- Performance Management
- Training, Learning, & Development
Why did you pursue a career in the cybersecurity industry?
I’d been in the technology industry for the last 4 years, working at a Financial Technology company (in HR) before pursuing Rhymetec. I love working in tech – it’s fast-paced and challenging, and you’re constantly learning! The work is rewarding as well – helping companies (internal and external) achieve their goals in the cybersecurity space is vital for their success. When I saw the opportunity to work with and for Rhymetec, it felt like a natural next step for me to get into the cybersecurity world from FinTech.
What is your favorite part about working at Rhymetec, or in the cybersecurity industry?
First and foremost, our leadership team and employees are incredible. They have taught me so much about cybersecurity in the last year working with them, and never shy away from a learning moment or giving insights into what is happening in the industry to support me in recruiting or internal efforts.
Working within cybersecurity has taught me how important it is to stay digitally vigilant. I’m able to share this knowledge with my friends, family, and others to stay protected against scams and hackers, and keeping their data safe.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
“Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
This is a quote I keep in my back pocket. I used to be afraid to put myself out there professionally and personally. Whether it’s speaking my mind, disagreeing with an internal process, or having a solution in mind to enhance something that isn’t working. This quote is the best life rule to me. If you don’t put yourself in new, uncomfortable experiences, your life will stay stagnant. Growth and challenging myself, as I believe with others, is extremely important to creating a meaningful life. To have the confidence in yourself to simply experience new things is hard. But trusting yourself and your decisions will catapult you into beautiful things. We should never be afraid to “do the hard thing”, and show up as our most authentic selves while doing it.
From a security or compliance perspective, what advice would you give to a potential client or SaaS business?
Security and compliance are not just checkboxes — they’re the foundation of trust in any SaaS business. My biggest piece of advice is to prioritize security from day one. Don’t wait for an audit or a client request to start thinking about compliance; build a proactive security culture that evolves with your business and ensure you have the right MSSP support in place.
Regular risk assessments, employee security training, and a strong incident response plan can make all the difference. At Rhymetec, we help SaaS companies navigate complex frameworks like SOC 2, ISO 27001, and PCI, ensuring they stay secure, compliant, and ahead of emerging threats. Our passion for supporting compliance and cybersecurity comes from a deep place of understanding SaaS business models and how to stay congruent with emerging trends within cybersecurity & compliance.