Chelsea Keaulani Adofo-Mensah is a designer and the wife of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who was fired as general manager of the Minnesota Vikings on January 30, 2026.
The Vikings announced the move after four seasons with Adofo-Mensah at the helm. Ownership said in a statement they decided “to move forward with new leadership” of the football operations. Adofo-Mensah led Minnesota to an NFC North title in 2022 and a 14-3 record in 2024.
Chelsea Keaulani Adofo-Mensah is a former UX researcher at YouTube and published children’s book author who is launching her own clothing line. Chelsea and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah were married in 2022 and welcomed their first child in August 2024. They have two sons, Duke and Weston, who was born in 2025.
Here’s what you need to know about Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s wife, Chelsea:
1. Chelsea Keaulani Adofo-Mensah Was Born in Hawaii as a ‘Ward of the State’ & Raised in Silicon Valley
Chelsea Keaulani Adofo-Mensah was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, as a ward of the state. She was placed in the foster care system at birth but was adopted and raised in Silicon Valley by her mother, an anesthesiologist.
“Instead of going into foster care, I went to one of the top private schools in Silicon Valley,” Chelsea said on the Your Next Big Thing podcast. “I’ve always been very aware that I got the most lucky a kid could get with their mother.”
She attended the University of California-Berkeley, where she studied entertainment and business.
2. Chelsea & Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Were Married in Hawaii in 2022
The couple made their relationship Instagram-official on November 24, 2020, when Chelsea was with Kwesi in Cleveland during his time with the Browns. They got married on July 13, 2022, months after Kwesi was hired as the Vikings’ GM. They later had a wedding photoshoot at Hualālai in Hawaii in June 2023.
Chelsea and Kwesi welcomed their first child, a son named Duke Kalei Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, on August 6, 2024, according to her Instagram. The name honors both of their cultural backgrounds.
“His name honors his Hapa and Ghanaian cultures,” Chelsea wrote on Instagram, “Duke inspired by the great Duke Kahanamoku, Kalei meaning beloved in Hawaiian, and Kwesi meaning born on Sunday in Ghanaian tradition (just like his Dad).” Duke Kahanamoku was a legendary Hawaiian swimmer and surfer who won five Olympic medals and is considered the father of modern surfing.
“We love you son,” Chelsea wrote after Duke’s birth. “Being your mom is the biggest love I’ve ever experienced (besides loving your dad).”
Their second son, Weston, was born in 2025.
“Both boys love reading (thanks Chronicle Books) and doing all things together with “Mom! Dad! SKOL Vikings!” Finding the groove playing Broadway musicals, Jock Jams and watching 97’ One Shining Moment on repeat,” she wrote on Instagram. “After four years of living in Minnesota, I now consider 30 degrees a nice day and 40 degrees a lovely day. Life comes at you fast! As a Honolulu born, Northern California Bay Area raised gal, I once could never imagine my life not next to the Pacific Ocean, but hey — you betcha miracles do happen.”
3. Chelsea Was a UX Researcher at YouTube & Co-Founded a Google-Wide Research Community & Is Launching Her Clothing Line in 2026
Chelsea worked as a UX Researcher at YouTube, a role she held from May 2022 until 2025, according to her LinkedIn profile. She’s responsible for improving the user experience of YouTube’s media partnerships, including Movies, Series and Originals content.
Before YouTube, she worked at Google’s Design Systems Research starting in October 2020. She was the first researcher to join an internal startup within Google Cloud and co-founded the Design Systems Research Community across Google, which addresses business challenges across 89 different systems, according to a profile on Current Affairs.
Chelsea didn’t start in tech. She worked in TV production and sports broadcasting in San Francisco after graduating from Berkeley, but found the creative opportunities limited. She pivoted to startups, working at Looker and Gametime before landing at Google.
“It really felt at that time that the goals and the way I want to live my life in terms of agency in terms of the creativity and creating the new show programming and not just being on the talent side… wasn’t really on the table for me,” she said on the Your Next Big Thing podcast.
She also had a front office internship with the Golden State Warriors in 2012.
After leaving Google, she began working on launching her own clothing line, Chelsea Keaulani, which will launch in 2026.
“I’ve been working on bringing to life a Ready to Wear hat and apparel collection. The last couple of months have been deep in design, fabric, textile and supply chain product development focusing efforts in Italy. Grateful for the experience and humbled by the creatives that I have crossed paths with. It has felt great to lock in on something again and have full ownership of the product and product experience. We cannot wait to show you the world of Chelsea Keaulani. Coming AW26 @chelseakeaulani,” she wrote on Instagram.
The about section of her website explains, she is a “Hawaiian-British American designer known for her eponymous fashion brand, Chelsea Keaulani, which blends her mixed heritage with influences from her family life in the world of sports and her experiences working in tech in the corporate world. Her designs are inspired by those living between the coast and the city, dissolving boundaries in men’s and women’s ready-to-wear styling, while serving up styles for youth wear. Her aesthetic is often described as “Sporty elegance” with the boldness and nostalgia of ’90s paired with beautiful craftsmanship made in Italy with textiles from Italy, Japan and England. Her designs draw inspiration from her experiences and interest in coast and city subcultures.”
4. She Wrote a Children’s Book Called ‘The Little Wahine’ After a Solo Surf Trip
Chelsea is the author of “The Little Wahine,” a children’s book about courage, perseverance and resilience. “Wahine” is the Hawaiian, Polynesian and Maori word for woman.
She created the book after a solo surf trip through Hawaii, New Zealand, Fiji and Australia. The book contains a series of life lessons: Find Your Rhythm, Practice Self Love, Beauty Is In Your Breath, Love Your Journey, Knowledge Is Power, Bring People Together, Protect Mother Nature and Celebrate Living. Jaz Meier illustrated the book and Jihee Kim designed it.
Chelsea raised more than $30,000 on Kickstarter to print the book locally in Santa Cruz, California, with Community Printers, a local business since 1977. “The book is about embracing a mindset of courage, perseverance, and resilience — the attributes I have found to help me the most in navigating life,” Chelsea told the Santa Cruz Sentinel. The first edition sold out. She also founded West Wahine Ventures, a creative house based in Santa Cruz, according to her website.
“My connection to water and to the ocean all started in a swimming pool,” she told the Santa Cruz Sentinel. “My mother said that it was the only place that tired me out.”
6. She & Coach Kevin O’Connell’s Wife Created a Vikings Fashion Line That Sold Out Immediately
Chelsea Keaulani Adofo-Mensah teamed up with Leah O’Connell, wife of Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, to launch the “International Collection,” a limited-edition Vikings outerwear line that sold out immediately in October 2024.
The collection, created in partnership with Fanatics and NFL-licensed fashion house The Wild Collective, includes three London streetwear-inspired pieces: a shearling faux leather jacket, a starter jacket and a denim work jacket. Chelsea and Leah spent more than a year developing the line. “The nostalgia of high-end ’80s and ’90s, well-made garments have been a major source of inspiration,” Chelsea told Mpls.St.Paul Magazine.
“It’s fitting to launch this unique collection following the Vikings’ latest London game because these jackets merge classic sports fan silhouettes with London streetwear style,” Chelsea said in the Vikings’ press release.
The two appeared on the insideLINES Podcast, hosted by Atoya Burleson, wife of NFL analyst Nate Burleson, where they discussed balancing careers, parenting and their entrepreneurial ventures.
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