Kara Kelley

Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce

As president and chief executive officer of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, Kelley is responsible for the strategic direction and policy implementation of the third largest metropolitan chamber of commerce in the nation. In her position, Kelley oversees policymaking, political advocacy, strategic planning and long-range goals. The chamber is a business organization that strengthens, enhances and protects business.

Kelley was listed among the top 40 most powerful women in Nevada, and was selected by "In Business Las Vegas" as one of the 37 Most Influential Businesswomen in Southern Nevada, and also as one of the “Top 40 Under 40.” She has received the Louis Wiener Young Leadership Award and the Glass Ceiling award by the National Association of Women Owners (Southern Nevada Chapter). She has attended the prestigious Aspen Institute in Colorado.

Kelley is the newly-elected chairman of the board of directors of the Western Association of Chamber Executives and a board member of the American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE), The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, and the United Way of Southern Nevada. Kelley also serves on the advisory boards of NEW Leadership Nevada and the College of Liberal Arts of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She is currently a Fellow in the ACCE’s Ford Foundation Regionalism and Sustainable Development (RSD) Fellowship.

A native of Southern Nevada, Kelley earned two Bachelor of Arts in communications and political science from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 1992; she completed her masters in political science at UNLV in 1998 with honors.