Faith B. Kelly

Faith Brainerd Kelly joined Groundworks New Mexico with a wealth of experience in the nonprofit sector, both as a staffer and board member. Faith’s role as Senior Manager of Training and Education draws upon her unique background to support the advancement of causes that matter to New Mexico. After attaining a BA in Fine Art at Mount Holyoke College, Faith left New England and made her way to Anchorage, Alaska. This meandering road trip included a few weeks in New Mexico, with a lasting impression that called her back years later.   

Faith spent nearly two decades advocating for Alaskans with developmental disabilities, work that is foundational to her ethos and a passion for human rights. In a pivot to academia, she led operations for a statewide public health COVID response with the University of Alaska Anchorage Project ECHO. Faith then joined the University of New Mexico, where ECHO originated. At UNM, Faith applied her project management and facilitation skills to upscale ECHO replication by training university and hospital leadership in Africa, Australia, Europe, and the Americas.  

From global to local, Faith returned to her social services roots as development director at a Bernalillo nonprofit. There she familiarized herself with the unique challenges and strengths of the New Mexico social sector landscape and its parallels to Alaska. Always learning and exploring, Faith looks forward to building a deeper connection with New Mexico and its vibrant nonprofit and philanthropic community.   

In her free time, Faith enjoys nothing more than a good book from the comfort of a hammock. Inspired by the sacred beauty of her new home, she aims to resurrect her love of painting by capturing the landscape on canvas.  Faith and her husband live with three loyal dogs and one regal cat by the Rio Grande.