Kelly Hart attended Temple University where she completed the honors program and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree. She also holds a Certificate of Public Health and a Master of Science degree in Health Promotion from the University of Montana.  She is a member of the American Evaluation Association and the American Public Health Association.

In 2004, Kelly moved to Montana to be an AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteer In Service To America) and completed a second year of national service in Oregon. Her experience with national service set her on a life course to use her skills to improve the lives of others. She accomplishes this by focusing her efforts on supporting programs and organizations addressing issues that improve community health and wellbeing, especially for youth.

Throughout her career, she has conducted program evaluations and needs assessments, using both quantitative and qualitative research methods. She has experience with literature reviews; developing policy recommendations; program development, management, and outreach; and data collection, visualization, and reporting. She has given professional presentations at community, state, and national conferences. She has worked on projects related to teen pregnancy and parenting, youth substance use prevention, agriculture and food systems, built environments, and economic advocacy.

Kelly has been trained in Photovoice, a Community Based Participatory Research method, as well as the Positive Culture Framework. She is a Certified Communities That Care Coach. She has also been trained in data visualization through the Evergreen Data Visualization Academy. She has previously served as a domestic violence advocate and a sexual assault crisis advocate, and has served on the board of directors of the YWCA in Helena, MT, and the PEAK Foundation in Alberton, MT.

Outside of the office, Kelly loves to spend time in nature all year long, and enjoys photography, crafting, and gardening. She lives with her husband Nick, their husky Lolo, and cats Scout and Little Bear on nine acres near the town of Alberton. Kelly is a graduate of the 34th class of Leadership Missoula. She is currently working on completing a second Master’s in Public Health as well as the Green Path Herb School Herbal Foundations certificate program, because she is both an overachiever and a lifelong learner.