An established thought leader in the industry and a trusted advisor to development teams worldwide, Kelly carries a reputation for working closely with her clients to generate strategies and solutions that are innovative, resilient, and pragmatic over a diverse range of projects. She is exceptionally passionate about design and its impact on the world, the environment, and, most importantly, the community, building cities where people can thrive and businesses can succeed. Kelly believes that vision doesn't always mean starting from scratch. She is a leading voice on adaptive reuse, helping cities and developers unlock underused buildings as viable space for housing, commerce, and community life through smarter policy and incentives like the Adaptive Reuse Ordinance. For Kelly, strengthening the fabric of a city means designing for the long term, creating places that deliver authentic experiences for residents and which serve communities at every stage of life.

Kelly is also a sought-after speaker and commentator for various industry organizations including the Los Angeles Headquarters Association (LAHQ), Design Intelligence, the American Institute of Architects (AIA), and the Urban Land Institute (ULI) in addition to speaking at industry events. She mentors the dialogue on the next generation of design professionals and has served on the Catholic University of America School of Architecture Board of Advisors and the USC Architectural Guild.