Trish Kelly has more than thirty years experience in strategic planning, policy analysis and civic engagement in economic and workforce development, sustainable development, and community indicators. Ms. Kelly has participated in program and policy analyses for state and federal governmental agencies; provided facilitation and capacity building for cities, counties, community-based organizations, and statewide non-profits and foundations; and prepared economic vitality strategies for cities and counties throughout California. She has a special expertise in rural economies. She is also a successful grant writer and has authored numerous reports on the economy.

Ms. Kelly has managed several regional-state partnership projects to improve the economy and quality of life throughout the State’s diverse regions, working with a broad network of regional civic organizations, regional planning agencies, and local governments. Areas of focus include industry clusters and career pathways, broadband, infrastructure, smart growth, and fiscal reform. Partners include the Governor’s Cabinet, the State Legislature, and leadership and philanthropic organizations such as the California Association of Councils of Government (CALCOG), the California Emerging Technologies Fund, The California Endowment, the League of California Cities, the Local Government Commission, and CALED.

Ms. Kelly is a long-term strategic advisor to the California Economic Strategy Panel. In this capacity, she has organized regional forums with industry and civic leaders, and prepared findings and recommendations for state, regional and local policy makers in key regional industry clusters of opportunity, most recently documenting the green economy and career pathways initiatives. She also is working with business, civic and educational leaders in urban and rural areas throughout the State to plan and implement comprehensive broadband strategies aligned with regional infrastructure plans and investments.

Ms. Kelly was the project director for the Rural Economic and Health Vitality Project, sponsored by the California Endowment, to increase the visibility of rural regions in the state policy process and connect urban and rural regions; and prepared “Investment, Innovation, Collaboration, an Economic Action Agenda,” developed by California’s regional leaders in collaboration with the Governor’s Cabinet. These projects have resulted in several outcomes, including statewide initiatives to improve broadband access to underserved rural regions, equitable access to infrastructure bonds, and documentation of green economy opportunities in every region of the State. She is the project director for the California Regional Progress Report, the first region-based statewide indicators report, aligned with the framework of the Regional Blueprint Planning Program. The report tracks how the regions are doing across a range of integrated quality of life measures as the State and the regions address the challenges of growth. She also works on local and regional community indicator projects. She is a member of the State Interagency Coordinating Committee assisting with implementation of the California Regional Blueprint Planning Program, a model for smart growth throughout the State.

Ms. Kelly graduated cum laude from Georgetown University in 1971 and holds a Master's degree in City and Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania, 1976. She is a member of the California Association for Local Economic Development (CALED), the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), and the Urban Land Institute (ULI). She is on the advisory council for the Center for Regional Change at the University of California, Davis. She is the co-author of the Ahwahnee Principles for Smart Economic Development.

Our Team