Kelly is a native of Green Bay, Wisconsin and graduated from the nursing program at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with her BSN. She moved to Maryland to work as an RN in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1993. She worked there for almost ten years and obtained a master’s degree in Nursing Systems and Management from the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing.

She moved to Dorchester County from Baltimore City in 2003 with her husband and two young children and spent a short amount of time working in Pediatric Home Health. She then participated in the Eastern Shore Faculty Academy & Mentorship Initiative (ES-FAMI) to prepare for a new role as clinical nursing faculty. This opportunity led her to Chesapeake College, where she taught first-year nursing students as a Clinical Nursing Instructor and in addition worked as a nursing tutor. With her experience as an adjunct faculty member in nursing education, she developed the skills to identify adult learning styles/principles and implement successful teaching strategies to accommodate diverse audiences. This included facilitation skills for guiding group discussions and encouraging interactive learning. She also developed strong skills to support and encourage goal setting and problem solving in her role as nursing educator. With this skillset, she is excited to join ESAHEC as the Diabetes Prevention Program Coordinator.