When Kelly first entered architectural school, she was shocked to be confronted with blatant sexism and gender inequity in the profession. This awareness led to a career-long effort to combat the gross injustices that women architects have endured since Louise Bethune became the country’s first woman architect.

In 2008, as President of AIA Buffalo/WNY, Kelly celebrated her role in honor of the chapter’s founder, Bethune. She used this platform to hold several symposia on women in architecture.

As 2012 President of AIA New York State, she continued this work by planning a session at the state convention that year and she selected an all-woman jury for the widely acclaimed AIANYS Design Awards. She has participated on panels regarding women in architecture at several AIA national conventions and AIA EQxD Conference in 2016. She has also presented on this topic at other AIA chapters, such as Women in Architecture AIA Long Island, and facilitated in-persona and virtual sessions on the topic, such at the AIA Brooklyn Paths to Fellowship program and “Leadership in Turbulent Times,” in 2020 which both featured all-women panels.

As a member of the AIA Buffalo/WNY Diversity Committee, she helped plan the “Diversity Breeds Success: A Discussion with Payette, AIA National’s 2019 Firm of the Year” in 2019. This symposium focused on the value of diversity in strenthening a firm’s practice and culture. Kelly was a member of the UB Gender Institute Executive Committee from 2014-2022. In this capacity, she collaberated with the UB School of Architecture & Planning and AIA Buffalo/WNY to offer four symposia on topics around gender equity within the field of architecture.