Kelly’s connection to AFS began in high school when she spent a summer living in rural Denmark. Like so many who participate in an AFS program, her worldview was forever changed, and her lifelong commitment to service and learning was born. She joined the AFS-USA Board in 2023 and now serves as Vice Chair.
Kelly is the Executive Director of the National Council for the Social Studies, the largest professional association in the country devoted to social studies education. With more than 25 years of nonprofit experience, Kelly is an ASAE-certified association executive with a track record of fostering innovation and transformative change for mission impact.
Previously, Kelly worked at the League of Women Voters of the United States (LWV), a national, nonpartisan organization committed to voter engagement and civic participation. Kelly held successive leadership roles at LWV, where she managed executive teams, board relations, organizational strategy and governance. For more than 10 years, Kelly worked in the organization’s field department collaborating with the organization’s grassroots membership and 750 chapters across the US. Prior to joining the national entity, Kelly was executive director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio, a state affiliate.
Kelly’s career began in education, first teaching English to middle and high school students in Japan through the JET Program, and later as a classroom teacher for kindergarten and 4th grade in Ohio and Massachusetts.
She resides in the Washington, DC area with her husband and has two college-aged daughters. She is still regularly in touch with her AFS family in Denmark.
