Kelli D. Kelley is the Founder and Executive Director of Hand to Hold, a national non-profit organization dedicated to providing education and support for Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and bereaved families.
A NICU graduate parent who suffered from psychosocial issues for years after her children’s early births, she now invests her time and talents to raise awareness about the high incidence of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder among these parents and the long-term implications for the baby and family.
Kelli is a member of Huggies’ Nursing Advisory Council and serves on the Board of the Alliance for Patient Access and Families Bridge to Caring Hands. She sits on the steering committee of the National Infant Health Coalition, the National Perinatal Association’s RSV Working Group and the leadership team of the Preemie Parent Alliance of which she is a founding member.
She is a past President of the Austin chapter of the Association for Women in Communications, now Women Communicators of Austin, and a graduate of Leadership Austin. Kelli was named a 2015 Outstanding Austin Communicator from Woman Communicators of Austin, 2011 Local Hero through Bank of America’s Neighborhood Excellence Initiative® and a 2011 Health Care Hero through the Austin Business Journal. She is the 2010 recipient of the Austin Under 40 Award for Medical and Health Care, and an ENERGIZER Keep Going Hall of Fame Semifinalist.
Kelli received a bachelor of journalism degree from The University of Texas at Austin. In her free-time she enjoys spending time with her husband, children and friends, reading, cooking, listening to podcasts and volunteering with her daughter through the National Charity League.
