Meet Dr. Kelly
Dr. Ashley Kelly is an executive leader with experience in organizational development, cultural transformation, labor relations, nonprofit operations, and systems redesign. She is known for evaluating complex processes, identifying operational gaps, and leading practical improvements that strengthen efficiency, employee morale, and overall organizational performance.
Executive Leadership
As Chief Operating Officer of Family Life Center, Dr. Kelly helps lead a multi-island social service nonprofit serving Maui, Molokai, and Kauai. Her work includes oversight of:
Operations and program performance
Grant development and funding strategy
Public relations and community engagement
Strategic partnerships
Fiduciary performance across a $12.5 million operating budget
Programs focused on homelessness, housing stabilization, disaster recovery, and community-based services
Disaster Recovery & Community Impact
Following the Maui wildfires, Dr. Kelly played a key leadership role in disaster recovery efforts, including oversight of ‘Ohana Hope Village, a mid-term housing community for displaced wildfire survivors.
Key accomplishments include:
Supported the development of 88 housing dwellings
Contributed to raising more than $20 million in less than one year
Helped pioneer Maui County’s disaster case management program
Supported Family Life Center’s expansion to Molokai and Kauai
Helped increase organizational property assets by 300% within one year
National Healthcare Leadership
Before transitioning into nonprofit executive leadership, Dr. Kelly served in national leadership roles with Kaiser Permanente, where she supported organizational design, service efficiency, leadership communications, and national HR transformation.
Her work included:
Strengthening service level agreement maturity
Reviewing new services for operational efficiency
Managing key initiatives across National Employee Services
Preparing concise executive updates for Kaiser’s CEO and CHRO
Creating a strategic planning framework and a three-year strategic plan for department leaders
Healthcare Operations Experience
Dr. Kelly built a strong operational foundation in healthcare environmental and support services through leadership roles with Xanitos and Aramark.
Her experience included:
Managing large teams across hospital service lines
Developing policies, procedures, and training standards
Overseeing quality assurance and operational budgets
Standardizing safety training
Supporting compliance readiness for CMS, The Joint Commission, CDC, and DHHS surveys
Improving employee morale, safety, satisfaction scores, and operational performance
Accomplishments included helping move a service area from the lowest regional ranking to the highest in the organization for admit-discharge times, and spearheading the development of safety protocols for Ebola readiness.
With experience managing multimillion-dollar budgets, leading complex operations, expanding programs and assets, strengthening organizational culture, building public trust, and guiding teams through significant change, Dr. Kelly brings the strategic vision, operational discipline, and community-centered leadership needed for a Chief Executive Officer role.
See more about Dr. Kelly’s background
Meet the Kelly Family
Dr. Kelly and her husband, Ryan, have been married for 22 years and are blessed with three children: Casey, Caelyn, and David. Their family’s journey to Maui began in 2020, during the uncertainty of COVID, when the church they had been attending on the mainland closed. Searching online for a like-minded place to fellowship, they began watching a pastor’s teachings without realizing the church was located on Maui. Over time, they fell in love with the teaching, vision, and mission of the church, and when they discovered it was in Maui, something in their hearts began to stir.
Although a move across the ocean felt like a big step, the Kelly family reached out to the church and were immediately welcomed with arms wide open. From that moment forward, every door seemed to open, even the ones that had once felt impossible. Within less than 48 hours, they were able to purchase a home in Wailuku, and in September 2020, the Kelly family officially made Maui home.
They did not come to Maui for the beaches or the beauty of the island. They came because of the people, the community, and the sense of kuleana they felt to be part of something greater. It was not long before Dr. Kelly found opportunities to serve in a deeper way, eventually leaving her corporate career to pursue nonprofit work that allowed her to directly support and strengthen the local community.
The Kelly children spent some of their most impressionable years growing up on Maui, surrounded by the values of ‘ohana, faith, service, and community. Today, all three are adults building their own lives: Casey, their oldest; Caelyn, their middle daughter, who is now married; and David, their youngest, who still lives on Maui. No matter where life takes them, Maui will always be home. For the Kelly family, Maui is more than a place they live. It is where they were welcomed, rooted, and called to serve.
