Hi I’m Kelly. I’m passionate about telling human-centered stories that creates impact and evokes change. Whether I’m painting a scene of my community or interviewing an Amish bishop about how he overcame a stutter, I frame my work through the lens of storytelling. My professional background includes multimedia journalism for public media.

I was born and raised in Northeast Ohio. I wanted to be an artist throughout my childhood, and I spent many hours drawing. My creative pursuit began in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where I received an Associate of Science degree in photography from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh in 2003. I continued my passion for photography by receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Youngstown State University in 2007. I moved to New York City the day after graduation in 2007 to become a professional photographer, but I decided to move back to Ohio after my three month stay.

I spent almost 12 years working in the health insurance industry while also working as a freelance photographer and volunteering as a youth leader at my church. I decided to pursue a career in journalism by going back to school in January of 2020.

If you see me around town, I’ll probably be selling my art at a local artisan market or taking pictures of new scenes I want to paint.