Mara Vanderslice Kelly has more than 20 years of experience building organizational and movement infrastructure for social impact causes. Her career spans nonprofit leadership, philanthropy, government, and political organizing, with a focus on turning ambitious ideas into effective programs, strong institutions, and lasting partnerships.

Before joining the Hub, Mara served as Senior Director of Engaged Philanthropy at The Denver Foundation, where she led a team supporting more than 700 donor-advised funds and oversaw their flagship grant program, which funds community-led efforts to reduce racial and economic disparities in Metro Denver. Previously, she founded and led United Way Worldwide’s Center to Combat Human Trafficking, building it from startup to a national initiative. She launched a fellowship for trafficking survivors, and brought together community organizations, advocates, and policymakers to expand services and advance systemic change.

As a Senior Policy Advisor on the Obama White House’s Domestic Policy Council, Mara helped redesign and implement the President’s Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships initiative, helping to coordinate a team of more than 40 staff across eight federal agencies. She developed public-private partnerships addressing priorities including hunger, education, and economic opportunity, and brought together more than 80 nonprofit and religious leaders through the President’s Advisory Council to inform policy and strengthen community impact.

Earlier in her career, she founded a political consulting firm focused on engaging diverse communities and led national outreach for the Kerry-Edwards presidential campaign. She is a graduate of Earlham College, a small Quaker school in Indiana, known for its emphasis on social impact. She lives in Denver with her husband and their two cats, where she loves to spend time in the mountains.