Kellie Chauvin (born 1974) is a former Miss Minnesota winner and realtor based in Minnesota. In May 2020, Chauvin filed for divorce from Minneapolis Police Department officer Derek Chauvin that has been charged with murder and manslaughter after killing George Floyd. ^{[1] [2]}

Kellie was born in Laos in 1974 during a time of war. In 1977, her family fled to safety in Thailand, where they lived in a refugee camp. ^[10]

In an interview with Twin Cities Pioneer Press, Chauvin explained she still remembers the challenges of being a refugee.

Their only possessions were the ones they could carry on their backs.

She watched people die from illness.

To this day, she avoids eating oatmeal because it takes her back to her days at the camp. ^[10]

After three years there, Chauvin and her family moved to Eau Claire, Wisconsin. It was a cold October and Chauvin had to wear a boy’s jacket because that’s all that was available. ^[10]

Even in America, Chauvin said, she felt like she was still in a refugee camp.

At ten years old, she was placed in a kindergarten class, where she knew less about reading and writing English than her younger classmates.

As a child, Kellie Chauvin was teased, bullied and the only one of her friends who was not invited to participate in a local parade, all because other children called her ugly.

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“They say ‘land of the free,’ but I still didn’t feel like we were free,” Chauvin said.

“We didn’t know English.

My parents didn’t want us leaving the house because they didn’t trust the world.

You land into this brand-new world and you don’t know what to expect, and so we were always kept inside.”

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Chauvin’s parents found her a husband when she was 17 years old and they married before she turned 18.

She hardly knew him.

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“As a Hmong woman, if you’re not married by 18 … then your parents think that nobody will marry you,” Chauvin said.

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The couple had two sons, and Chauvin said she fought to make the marriage work.

But after 10 years in an abusive relationship, she says, she decided to divorce in 2001 and move to Minnesota.

Her former husband died shortly after.

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Kellie earned an Associate degree in radiology, eventually working in the ER of Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, a job she held for 13 years. ^[2]

Chauvin earned her associate’s degree in radiology and took an internship in the emergency room of Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.

The internship turned into a full-time position, and she stayed for 13 years.

Chauvin later resigned from the hospital, went to Kaplan University for residential real estate and began working as a Realtor with RE/MAX Results. ^[10]

Kellie Chauvin was crowned Miss Minnesota in October 2018.

She made his first woman of Hmong ethnicity to win the honor. ^[11]

In an interview she said that as a child, she was ridiculed for her heritage, appearance and refugee status. She hopes that representing the Hmong community in pageants will inspire young girls who are experiencing similar criticism. She has received positive feedback on that count, like this message from 26-year-old Iia Moua: “I am so proud of you for making history. Thank you for opening new doors for all Hmong women.” “This quote is so powerful, and every time I read it, it gives me goosebumps,” Chauvin said.

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To train for the national competition she worked with pageant coach Andrea Bennett Xiong, who was Mrs. Minnesota America for 2017 and accompanied her to the national competition in Las Vegas.

“She is assisting me with getting fit, wardrobe choices, posture and stage presentation,” Chauvin said.

“She also has great recommendations for everything I need, from makeup artists to photographers.”

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Chauvin said she isn’t nervous about the national competition because “this is who I am, and I’m already doing the work of a title holder.

I am mostly excited to be a leader, meet people from across the country and pass on my legacy to be kind, have compassion, serve others and touch people’s lives,” she said.

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She believes the platform of the United States of America’s Mrs. pageant is to empower, inspire and uplift.

“I will continue to celebrate women and girls of all ages,” Chauvin said.

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If Chauvin wins the United States of America’s Mrs. crown, she said she will get a new car, be featured in national campaigns and represent married women and her Hmong community at charity events across the country.

“It really just takes one person to make a difference,” she said.

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Five years ago, Chauvin said, she wouldn’t have considered signing up for a pageant.

However longtime friend Sophia Xiong-Yang approached Chauvin with the idea in January 2018, and convinced her to give it a try.

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“She is such a go-getter,” Xiong-Yang said.

“I feel that it takes someone who is very caring, compassionate and has a lot of empathy for others to be able to do the things she does.

It would be amazing if she makes Minnesota history by being the first Hmong woman to win the title Mrs. Minnesota.”

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The pageant is split into four parts: a private interview with the judges, a public interview, a swimsuit round and an evening-gown round.

Chauvin has worked with a coach to prepare for the interviews but is most nervous about walking in 5½-inch heels.

“If I fall flat on my face, at least somebody will remember,” Chauvin said.

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Her evening gown was navy blue with a smattering of sparkles — an homage to police officers.

“When I saw the dress, it was almost like it was in a movie where the girl sees a dress,” Chauvin said.

“I was immediately drawn to it.”

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Chauvin said in an interview, “my hobby is just helping people.”

She’s been buying groceries and gas for police officers and military members for years.

She frequently opens her home to women who are in abusive relationships.

She rescues dogs, cats and other animals.

She shares her home-grown produce with neighbors and clears the snow from their driveways with her plow.

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And she donates to and volunteers with Hmong Empowering Women, a nonprofit dedicated to helping Hmong women who have recently arrived in the United States find jobs, child care and a community.

“I dedicate myself to animals and children and women,” Chauvin said.

“That’s my passion.

It doesn’t feel like work to me.”

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She also has delivered winter items to families in need and plans to fund scholarships at Century College and Chippewa Valley Technical College.

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She is currently seeking a dissolution of her marriage, according to her attorneys and media reports and is divorcing her husband Derek Chauvin.

A statement on behalf of her read, “She is devastated by Mr. Floyd’s death.

Her utmost sympathy lies with his family, his loved ones, and with everyone who is grieving.

She has filed for dissolution of her marriage.”

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She met Derek at the hospital she was working at, Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis. The officer spotted his future wife when he brought someone in for a health check before an arrest. After taking the suspect to jail, Derek Chauvin returned and asked her out. ^[10]

“Under all that uniform, he’s just a softie,” Kellie Chauvin said in a 2018 interview.

“He’s such a gentleman.

He still opens the door for me, still puts my coat on for me.

After my divorce, I had a list of must-haves if I were ever to be in a relationship, and he fit all of them.”

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