A new position
Forensics teacher takes office as a county coroner
Photo by Jackson Haltom
Forensic Science teacher Kelly Rowland holds up her campaign sign from when she ran for coroner. Rowland was elected the Miller County Coroner.
February 1, 2023
In Room 210, forensics teacher Kelly Rowland prepares for her morning class as she moves through the slides for her lesson. As the students flood the room, she approaches the front, grabs their attention and begins to teach. However, many don’t know that this is not the only career Rowland holds. As of Jan. 1, 2023, Rowland has taken office as the new Miller County coroner.
As coroner, Rowland is responsible for pronouncing all deaths in Miller County and helping find the cause and manner of the passing. This, however, will not be Rowland’s first time working for the office.
“I was approached by the current coroner in Sept. 2019, and he was just starting his term and realized he needed some assistance,” Rowland said. “He was reaching out to me to see if I knew anybody that would be interested in being a deputy coroner, and I said yes, I would.”
After serving the last coroner for two years, she began campaigning for her own term and won the 2022 election. However, these positions are not Rowland’s first careers based in forensics and health, but rather one of many in a quite impressive resume.
“I’ve taught forensics for years. I was a hospice volunteer when I worked for the health department before I started teaching [and] I was a health inspector,” Rowland said.
Her time as a hospice volunteer, especially, helped Rowland become familiar with the process of death and helped her gain the perspective that it isn’t as scary or unpredictable as some would think. However, it was something more personal that pushed Rowland to actually follow this career path.
“My mother had just passed away, and I spent a lot of time prior to that taking care of her until she died. And then in that process, I ran across a lot of really good people, and some that didn’t do their job as well as they should have,” Rowland said. “That bothered me, and I didn’t want the families to not have good people to do the job.”
This moment would inspire Rowland to get involved with this field and in doing so, she found a passion for the work and helping families find closure.
“A lot of people think [the hardest part of the job] is dealing with dead people. It’s really not the hardest part. Sometimes it’s dealing with the families. They want answers. And if I can give them those answers, I’m happy to do so,” Rowland said. “That’s the big purpose of the job of the coroner, to serve the public of the county, the citizens of the county.”
Rowland plans to keep teaching while in office, and, during these last few weeks, she’s attempted to find the balance between her positions.
“It has been tricky to balance both of them. Fortunately, the school has been very understanding and accommodating,” Rowland said.
Despite the struggle with juggling two different careers, Rowland has maintained a steady presence in both areas, even despite the lack of sleep that comes with it.
“I make sure my kids are always learning, but I also have obligations there that I have to take care of,” Rowland said. “Death calls don’t always come during the day or in the evening.”
