SPEAKERS

January 26, 2026

As the president and chief executive officer of the South Tampa Chamber, Kelly works with business owners and community leaders each day to make South Tampa the best place to live, work and play. Kelly is a graduate of Florida State University with a B.S. in Political Science. Prior to her work at the Chamber, her background includes sales, marketing, and management for ClubCorp, Marriott, Front Burner Brands and Millennium Copthorne Hotels.

Kelly is a graduate of the Institute of Organization Management (IOM), a 96-hour professional development program of the US Chamber of Commerce and has received her Florida Certified Chamber Professional designation (FCCP) from the Florida Association of Chamber Professionals (FACP).

Under Kelly’s leadership, the South Tampa Chamber has been designated as a Certified+ Chamber in the State of Florida. This achievement is the culmination of several years of work in the areas of membership, programing, advocacy, leadership and administration, and showcases that the South Tampa Chamber follows the best practices of the chamber industry. Additionally, the South Tampa Chamber was named the Chamber of the Year in 2020. The Chamber of the Year is judged and awarded by FACP based on the culmination of 3 years of work in the areas of Financial Stability, Strategic Planning, Membership, Advocacy, Communications, Programming, and Innovation.

The South Tampa Chamber is recognized as a Three-Star Chamber of Valor by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The Three-Star Chamber of Valor Award is Hiring Our Heroes' highest honor for local and state chambers; it recognizes demonstrated leadership in connecting companies with talented veteran and military spouse candidates.

A Tampa native, Kelly is actively involved in the community currently serving on the Board of Directors for the Hillsborough County Early Learning Coalition, the Board of Trustees of HCA Florida South Tampa Hospital, the Advisory Board for Blue Star Families of Tampa Bay, Chair of the Community Support Council for MacDill Air Force Base, and as a Civic Leader Alumni for Air Mobility Command. Kelly serves as the Chair of Tampa Bay Air Fest, Chair of the Tampa Air Force Ball, and is a two-time past Honorary Commander for the 6th Air Refueling Wing. Kelly is a graduate of Leadership Tampa Bay, and previously served on the board of directors for the Girl Scouts of West Central Florida, the Florida Association of Chamber Professionals and the Florida State University Student Affairs Advisory Council.

Kelly has participated in the FBI Citizens Academy, Tampa Police Citizens Academy, Tampa Fire Rescue Citizens Academy, Tampa Mayor’s Neighborhood University, Hillsborough County Leadership University, Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Business Academy and Educate Hillsborough. In 2022, Kelly was selected as 1 of 88 civic leaders from around the country to attend the National Security Forum at the Air War College where she completed a one-week immersive learning experience.

Kelly has been recognized as a finalist for Tampa Bay Business & Wealth Magazine’s Women Who Win Award (Non-Profit) and the Business Women Award (Business Service), is a two-time honoree for the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s Businesswoman of the Year (Under 40 and Economic Development), a two-time honoree for Business of Pride (Ally and Community Enhancement), the Tampa Bay Business & Professional Women Foundation’s “Woman of the Year,” and was included in the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s Power 100, a guide of the Tampa Bay area’s most influential business leaders. Kelly was given the Air Force Commander's Award for Public Service in recognition of her volunteer work serving military members and their families.

Kelly is a resident of South Tampa, with her husband Jim and son James, who enjoy travel, exploring the local community, and spending time with their rescue dog, Zoey.