Meet Corazon Healdsburg's Ariel Kelley, one of North Bay Business Journal's 2019 Forty Under 40

Forty Under 40 winner

Age: 36

CEO and board chair

Corazon Healdsburg

1557 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg, 95448

707-480-5608

www.corazonhealdsburg.org

Ariel Kelley, 36, acting CEO and board chair of nonprofit Corazon Healdsburg and a Sonoma County Planning Commission member, is one of North Bay Business Journal's Forty Under 40 notable young professionals for 2019.

Responsibilities with your company: Acting CEO for nonprofit Corazon Healdsburg, dedicated to ending cycles of poverty and bridging the racial divide in Healdsburg. I am responsible for fundraising $1 million annually, managing an active board of directors, supporting a staff of three, overseeing 10 programs that serve low-income families in northern Sonoma County.

My role on the county Planning Commission is a quasi-judicial role reviewing land use permits and legislation for the county's Planning Department. We hold public hearings and review the findings of the county staff and vote on specific applications or policy impacting land use in the County such as housing, winery use permits, cannabis and mining/timber rights.

How do you exemplify the spirit of being a top Forty Under 40 professional?: Be prepared, be educated, and be bold.

Years with company: 2

Length of time in current position: 18 months

Employees: 150

Number who report to you: 5

Greatest professional accomplishment: As the chair of the board of Corazon Healdsburg, we were selected non-profit of the year in the state Assembly and nominated by Assembly member Jim Wood.

Greatest professional challenge: Whether it is in my county government role or in my role as a non-profit CEO, we have to work alongside or in partnership with institutional “systems” that are broken or very cumbersome. As I see it, my role is to identify where these breakdowns are stifling progress and determine what barriers exist to improve or change those broken systems. Some of these barriers are massive and institutionalized and require intense focus and persistence to repair and improve them.

Best advice received: Don't ever work for free.

Single most important event in your professional life in the last 12 months: Being elected as an assembly district delegate to the state Democratic Party.

What steps is your company taking to sustain your organization and morale in the current economy?

We have seen tremendous growth at Corazon Healdsburg, as our community's support for our work in ending cycles of poverty in northern Sonoma County. We are investing resources into staff trainings around resiliency, shared learning experiences and being trauma informed in our work supporting sensitive populations.

Next professional goal: Running for local office

Education: Juris Doctorate, Golden Gate University; masters of business administration, Golden Gate University; bachelor of science in business administration, University of Oregon

Hometown: Eugene, Oregon

Community/nonprofit activities: Board Chair, Corazan Healdsburg; board member, Healthcare Foundation Northern Sonoma County*; chapter representative, Health Action Sonoma County

Mentor/admired businessperson: State Senator Mike McGuire Lisa Wittke Schaffner Dr. David Lawrence, CEO Kaiser Permanente (Ret) Supervisor James Gore

What is your most disliked buzzword?: Overconcentration

Typical day at the office: Everyday is a new adventure. I work in both Healdsburg and Santa Rosa while attending meetings all over the county. My office is housed out of the Healdsburg Community Center and we operate a family resource center. It is a great place to work to get to see community members that our organization serves, while I am raising funds or strategizing for the growth and sustainability of our organization.

Best place to work outside of your office: My husband's home office. It's always clean and organized!

Hobbies: Taking my 5 year old daughter to gymnastics or dance class or going on family hikes around Sonoma County. My 3 year old son loves to visit the library and we love to go to children's theater at the Luther Burbank Center together.

What you wanted to be when you grew up?: Lawyer

No. 1 thing you want to accomplish by the time you turn 40: Being elected to public office

First job: Working retail sales at the local mall in Eugene, Oregon

Social media you most use: Facebook

Favorite book: “The Giving Tree” (I have a 5 year old and 3 year old)

Favorite movie: “Shawshank Redemption”

Favorite after-work drink: Glass of Limerick Lane Rose©

Last vacation: Hawaii

What does your mom or dad brag most about you?: My law degree

Favorite app: Instagram

Forty Under 40 winner

Age: 36

CEO and board chair

Corazon Healdsburg

1557 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg, 95448

707-480-5608

www.corazonhealdsburg.org

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