Kelly joined the North Carolina Coastal Federation in 2015. She migrated the Coastal Federation from eTapestry to RE/NXT/LO in 2019. The Coastal Federation's development tech stack also includes GivBee, Omatic, Greater Giving, Google Ad Grant and feathr.

Originally from the coast of Virginia, she holds a Bachelor of Arts in fine art from the College of William and Mary. She works from Chapel Hill and has the honor of being the furthest west employee of the Coastal Federation. Kelly also serves on the board of EarthShare NC.