Marcia Lee Kelly
Former Director of Management and Administration at the White House
Marcia Lee Kelly is currently a co-founder of a real estate fintech startup named Genrae and a Senior Leadership Fellow at Florida International University’s Adam Smith Center for Economic Freedom. During the first Trump Administration, she served as both the Director of White House Management & Administration and Senior Advisor to First Lady Melania Trump. Kelly was bestowed the highest Commissioned Officer title, Assistant to the President – an honor given to only 25 White House staff.
As President and CEO of the 2020 Republican National Convention, Kelly oversaw a multi-day event expected to draw 50,000 attendees and a $75 million budget. Previously, she held leadership positions in three other conventions and served on two different Presidential transition teams. In January 2021, Kelly began work in the Office of the 45th President in Palm Beach, FL.
Early in her career, she directed the NYC Mayor’s Office of Special Events. She was later nominated for a daytime Emmy award for producing the “A Prayer for America” service hosted by Oprah Winfrey to honor 9/11 victims at Yankee Stadium. After leaving the NYC public sector, Kelly launched a consulting firm with a clientele that included the Time Warner Building, Rockefeller Center, NYC Fire Museum, the World Trade Center, Marc Jacobs, and Prada. Outside of the political spectrum, Kelly made her mark in the nonprofit space as Chief Philanthropic Officer for Trinity Law School, Mercy Healthcare System, and Riverfront Foundation. She served on the Board of Directors of the Coulee Humane Society and the YWCA. President Trump appointed her to the 2018 USA Olympic Delegation and the Commission on the Preservation of the White House. Kelly has been featured in Fortune Magazine, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, FOX News, Los Angeles Times, and major Korean news outlets.