Kelly Veney Darnell, C’91, was recently named as the Interim CEO for the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), an organization supporting bipartisanship and well-informed policy solutions by combining the best ideas from both parties to promote health, security and opportunity for all Americans. In addition to this new appointment, Darnell will continue to serve as the BPC’s chief operating officer (COO).
Following her time at Spelman, and after receiving a master’s degree in public management from the University of Maryland and a law degree from the American University Washington College of Law, Darnell started her career as a legislative assistant for the DC Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives and Rep. John Lewis (D-GA). Her expertise in local government and federal policymaking eventually led to her notable role as the federal affairs director for the City of Atlanta as it prepared for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.
Prior to her time at the BPC, she held similar roles with the Executive Leadership Council, United Way of the National Capital Area and the Office of the State Superintendent for Education in Washington, D.C.