Cindy Kelly | Communications Manager
As the Kansas Leadership Center’s communications manager, Cindy Kelly works across teams to execute communications and marketing strategies that advance KLC’s mission to foster leadership development and civic engagement. She collaborates on campaigns that support leadership development, civic engagement, community partnerships, business development, research and publications. Cindy helps sustain KLC’s presence across digital and traditional platforms, contributing to messaging that reflects the organization’s leadership framework and engages diverse audiences. She also works to improve communication processes, support collaboration across teams, and strengthen data-driven decision-making in marketing efforts..
Before joining KLC, Cindy was an independent contractor managing online communications for clients in the nonprofit, senior living, hospice and hospitality industries. Prior to 2016, she served as communications coordinator for the Great Plains Conference of the United Methodist Church, helping navigate its transition from three organizations to one. Throughout her career—spanning advertising agencies, wholesale, and serving as executive director of a global industry association—she has thrived in environments where collaboration fuels a bold vision. Cindy is known as a connector and strategic problem-solver who helps bring clarity and momentum to complex initiatives.
Wichita was Cindy’s home for about two decades before she left for France and Los Angeles, returning in 1996 with an abundance of education and experience. She has served on the boards of NonprofitGO, the League of Women Voters Wichita-Metro, Wichita Professional Communicators, Kansas Interfaith Action, and the Music Theatre Wichita Guild. She is passionate about civic engagement, public discourse and the role of communications in shaping healthier communities.
Cindy earned a B.A. in International Studies and French from Wichita State University, where she also pursued graduate-level studies in human factors psychology and communications. She remains proficient in French and has basic skills in Spanish and Italian—so if you speak these languages around her, she just might understand. A lifelong learner, she continuously seeks to deepen her knowledge of digital strategy, community building and KLC’s leadership principles. She has a strong interest in mental health, self-awareness and the ways people navigate change.
Outside of work, she enjoys language learning, Pilates, live theatre, volunteering, traveling to visit her adult children (Wella and Daniel) and embracing opportunities to explore new ideas and experiences.
