Chair Emeritus
Kelly is the Deputy General Counsel of Legal Policy and Operations at the University of California’s Office of the President located in downtown Oakland. She has been practicing law since 1994 and is an experienced land use and entitlement lawyer specializing in the California Environmental Quality Act. She previously served as Managing Counsel of Capital Strategies overseeing a legal team of land use, construction, and real estate attorneys supporting the University of California’s construction and real estate development programs, which include student and faculty/staff housing. In her current role, she oversees a $31M+ internal legal operating budget, manages a 50+ member team, and supports the General Counsel in coordinating legal advice to the University of California’s 10-campus system on a broad range of higher education matters.
Kelly joined EBALDC’s Board in 2017. She has been an Oakland resident since 2003 and is a fourth-generation Bay Area native. Her commitment to EBALDC’s mission is driven by her family’s direct experiences with housing insecurity and displacement. She earned a BA in Anthropology from California State University, Sacramento, and a JD from UC Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco. Prior to joining the University of California, Kelly practiced law at Barg, Coffin, Lewis and Trapp, a boutique firm in San Francisco; the California Environmental Law Project, an environmental non-profit; and before attending law school was an archeologist for the US Department of Agriculture.