Kelly brings more than a decade of nonprofit management experience to her role as chief operating officer for TechTown and assistant vice president of economic development for Wayne State University. Prior to joining TechTown, Kelly supported entrepreneurs throughout the region in roles with OU INC and Automation Alley and most recently served as chief operating officer for the Downtown Detroit Partnership. Kelly has roots as a journalist with the Detroit Free Press and teaches in the journalism department at Oakland University. She is also a mentor for one of Michigan’s most accomplished FIRST Robotics teams (the ThunderChickens). Kelly holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism and a Master of Public Administration degree from Oakland University, as well as a Diversity and Inclusion Certificate from Cornell University.