Kelly is a strategic, innovative and results-driven business development and marketing executive with 20 years of experience in building authentic relationships with people, clients and teams based on trust, accountability, value and servant leadership. Kelly possesses a strong entrepreneurial spirit with a proven background in developing and executing successful business strategies, managing and growing revenues with direct and indirect customers and creating and launching new products, services and technologies for start-up, early-stage, nonprofit and Fortune 500 companies.
Prior to Cornerstone Kansas City, Kelly served more than seven years as the Chief Development Officer for Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas, a $25 million faith-based nonprofit that serves the most vulnerable children, women and men across 21 counties of northeast Kansas. Kelly led the Development Office of 12 staff members and partnered with more than 100 volunteers responsible for major gifts, fundraising events, grants management, marketing & communications and social enterprise development.
Kelly also created and co-founded JobShakers, a mobile application software start-up technology that allows for employees to quickly search, match and share job openings with trusted friends and business colleagues. Kelly self-funded the initial mobile application prototype and established business partnerships with local entrepreneurs that have raised more than $1.5 million in start-up capital, generated thousands of job referrals and hired hundreds of employees across multiple industry verticals.
Kelly serves as a member of the Knights of Columbus, Nativity Parish School Council, Church of the Nativity Baptism Preparation Leaders, Catholic Charities Snow Ball Patron Committee, CYO Basketball Coach and Blue Valley Recreation Baseball Coach. Kelly and his wife, Julie, reside in Overland Park, Kansas with their five children.