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SIPA Faculty
Kevin G. Kelly
International Affairs Building, 13th Floor
Adjunct Professor of International and Public Affairs
Phone: 212-854-3213
kgk13@columbia.edu
Biography:
Kevin Kelly serves as deputy commissioner of the Business Development Division at the New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS).
He oversees NYC Business Solutions, Business Incentives, the Business Outreach Team, and the SBS Customer Service Center. These programs are designed to help businesses to start, operate, and expand in New York City. Kelly also leads Agency Strategic Planning & Strategic Operations, where he is responsible for helping the Agency achieve its programmatic objectives.
Prior to his current role, Kelly served as assistant commissioner of NYC Business Express, an effort that transformed the way businesses interact with government. NYC Business Express, an award-winning online application, enables business owners and entrepreneurs to start, operate and expand a business through a single online point of contact. He also served as assistant commissioner of Operations and Technology, building and deploying the agency's operational and technological resources to support New York City's economic development objectives.
Kelly joined SBS in February 2004 as executive director of strategic operations for Workforce Development, where he revamped operations and implemented new systems in the city's job centers. These improvements enabled the New York City to dramatically increase the number of jobseekers hired by businesses seeking qualified labor, provided customers with better service, increased staff and system capacity, and made possible the management of these City-wide services using real-time objective data.
Prior to joining SBS, Kelly worked in the private sector as a management consultant, devising and implementing working capital improvement strategies for Fortune 500 companies. He lived and worked overseas for many years, primarily in Latin America and Europe, with a career that includes public service with the Peace Corps in Costa Rica and the New York City Transit Authority.
Kelly received a BA in urban studies from Columbia University; an MA in international studies from the University of Pennsylvania; and an MBA with distinction from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.