Kelley D. Gulley is chief of staff at the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. She joined from the James Irvine Foundation where she most recently served as Initiative Director of Irvine’s Better Careers initiative, which she co-developed.

Kelley has over 30 years of experience in community and youth development, workforce development, building capacity in the nonprofit sector, and leading initiatives that engage residents in communities of color throughout the country. Prior to joining the Irvine Foundation, Kelley served as Interim Managing Director/Director of Portfolio Management at the Thrive Foundation for Youth in Menlo Park, California. There she implemented a national grantmaking strategy to support long-term mentoring programs operating in urban areas, resulting in high percentages of students graduating from high school and college, most of whom were first-generation students.

Prior to Thrive, Kelley led two nonprofits as President and CEO: the Indianapolis Private Industry Council (IPIC) in Indiana, and the National Community Development Institute (NCDI) in Oakland. At IPIC, Kelley successfully served and partnered with Republican and Democratic mayors of Indianapolis to create a nonpartisan environment to fully implement the Workforce Investment Act in Central Indiana. At NCDI, Kelley opened their first Midwest office, managed philanthropy-led, place-based initiatives and provided the leadership to build capacity for social change in marginalized communities across the nation.

Kelley received her Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. She is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) through Coaches Training Institute (CTI) and is working toward completing a Master of Arts in Theology and Ministry at Fuller Theological Seminary.