Shaping the Ocean State

As Director of Senate Policy for the State of Rhode Island, there is no typical work week for Kylie Lovett '21. It’s a fluid schedule, varying based on both emerging issues and organizational priorities. Each week, her calendar is a mix of stakeholder engagement, research projects, and managing the team of policy analysts that work under her. 

It’s a challenging job where she frequently faces a host of issues, but it’s also one that allows her to give back to a community she loves.

“What I enjoy most about my work is knowing that each day, I’m contributing to the Rhode Island Senate’s mission to make our state the best it can be,” says Lovett. 

“It’s incredibly rewarding to be part of a team where everyone shows up with the shared understanding that our efforts have a real, direct impact on the lives of Rhode Islanders. We’re united by a common goal: to leave the state better than we found it.”

For her, the mission is clear: to do whatever she can to make the lives of Rhode Islanders better.

“Whether you're an elected official or someone like me who works behind the scenes, our true responsibility is to the people,” she says. “They are our bosses. Every decision we make, every policy we shape, is done with the residents of this state in mind. It’s their voices, their needs, and their futures that guide the work we do each day at the State House.”

Lovett entered law school with the goal of working in the public sector, specifically as a public defender. She served as an Assistant Public Defender for Rhode Island Public Defender after graduating. Lovett describes the work as incredibly rewarding, but also “one of the most demanding roles out there.”

“It’s more than just a job, “ she says. “It’s a deep commitment. Every day, you’re showing up for people who are navigating a system that is fundamentally stacked against them.”

According to Lovett, it was her time as a public defender that pushed her toward policy work, citing the imbalance and injustice she witnessed firsthand.

“I realized that to create real, lasting change, I had to address the system at its roots,” she says.

Lovett joined the Senate in January 2024 as a policy analyst for the Judiciary Committee. In that role, she had the opportunity to shape legislation that directly impacted the criminal justice system. But during her time as an analyst, she said one thing became clear to her: real reform doesn’t happen in isolation.

“There isn’t just one ‘source’ of the problem,” she says. “It spans across all areas of policy. To build a more just system, we must take a holistic view of our state: housing, education, healthcare, community investment, small business growth, public transportation, affordability—the list goes on.”

She says that when she was promoted to her current role, that’s the approach she took. Her work now touches nearly every corner of state policy.

“It’s my responsibility to understand how all the pieces fit together, and to help identify where we can keep pushing for progress,” Lovett says.

When describing the challenges of her position—which she began at the start of 2025—Lovett says that it can be difficult to determine the “right” way to approach an issue, especially when there isn’t just one clear answer. However, she says that her role is largely research-based, meaning that she can rely on facts and data. Lovett noted that she can look at the numbers and what other states are doing, and then compare that to what Rhode Island is doing and evaluate where things are falling short. Yet she adds that there are those times when the facts alone do not provide a definitive answer.

“In those moments, I’m expected to advise Senators on complex issues where multiple paths forward could be considered ‘correct,’” Lovett says. “Learning to navigate those conversations, presenting all the relevant information while also offering thoughtful recommendations, has been a significant growth area for me. As a lawyer, I’ve come to understand that most issues don’t fall neatly into black or white categories. More often than not, we’re working within shades of gray.”

A Florida native who attended Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia, Lovett wanted to attend law school in the Northeast. Now, she says can’t imagine leaving. For Lovett, her time at Roger Williams helped prepare her for her current role. She said that classes and activities, such as trial advocacy, her externships, and Moot Court, provided her with the confidence and knowledge she needed to start her career after graduation.

In particular, she highlighted her experience as an extern at Rhode Island Public Defender for two semesters during her 3L year as something quite transformative. She says that the legal minds she was surrounded by and the guidance she received really shaped her as a future lawyer.

“In my opinion, that office is home to the best attorneys in the State, and having the ability to be mentored by that office and then ultimately working for them was invaluable,” Lovett says.