Kelly Powers
Executive Director, VOCEL
A passionate education advocate, Kelly leads VOCEL as Executive Director. Kelly co-founded VOCEL in 2013 with Jesse Ilhardt after a career that included teaching 1st & 2nd grade in Ferguson, Missouri; coaching teachers; and managing a team of educational coaches at Teach For America. Early in her career, Kelly realized the critical importance of children’s social and emotional development – especially crucial when children have experienced trauma or toxic stress – and has she has remained committed to building an organization that fosters healthy development for children and families. A native of the Chicago suburbs, Kelly has established VOCEL to be a catalyst for change early education. At VOCEL Kelly leads the organization’s strategy and growth, board of directors and private philanthropy efforts. Under Kelly’s leadership, VOCEL has tripled its impact while also increasing fundraising over 350 percent since the organization launched its first program in September 2014. In addition to her successes at the helm of VOCEL, Kelly was a Hunt Leadership Scholar at SMU where she earned her BA in Communications & English. Currently, Kelly is a Neubauer Civic Scholar at University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business and will graduate with her MBA in June 2019.
Executive Director, VOCEL
A passionate education advocate, Kelly leads VOCEL as Executive Director. Kelly co-founded VOCEL in 2013 with Jesse Ilhardt after a career that included teaching 1st & 2nd grade in Ferguson, Missouri; coaching teachers; and managing a team of educational coaches at Teach For America. Early in her career, Kelly realized the critical importance of children’s social and emotional development – especially crucial when children have experienced trauma or toxic stress – and has she has remained committed to building an organization that fosters healthy development for children and families. A native of the Chicago suburbs, Kelly has established VOCEL to be a catalyst for change early education. At VOCEL Kelly leads the organization’s strategy and growth, board of directors and private philanthropy efforts. Under Kelly’s leadership, VOCEL has tripled its impact while also increasing fundraising over 350 percent since the organization launched its first program in September 2014. In addition to her successes at the helm of VOCEL, Kelly was a Hunt Leadership Scholar at SMU where she earned her BA in Communications & English. Currently, Kelly is a Neubauer Civic Scholar at University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business and will graduate with her MBA in June 2019.