OUR FACILITATORS

Kelly Larson, J.D

Dubuque, Iowa

• Equity, diversity and inclusion
• Intercultural communication
• Leadership development and coaching

PL work

Kelly learned about Personal Leadership as a Fellow at the Summer Institute for Intercultural Communication in 2012.  She brought the general concepts back to her team and supported her multicultural staff in completing the foundational course. The principles and practices proved to be precisely what was needed for this diverse team to keep relationships intact while making forward progress on equity and inclusion in an extremely demanding environment. Kelly completed the Training of Facilitators in 2019 and, most recently, she has facilitated PL sessions for the City of Dubuque where she now serves as the Development & Learning Manager.  She is working to infuse PL as a core part of the leadership development curriculum for the City and in private practice.

Other work: Kelly’s career has been one of service, particularly in the public sector.  For 22 years, she served as the Human Rights Director for the City of Dubuque. She is known for her innovative approach to this work, moving beyond the traditional reactive, enforcement focus and towards a proactive, intercultural approach to advancing equity and inclusion. She has served in various leadership capacities with the Regional Executive Council on Civil Rights and the League of Iowa Human and Civil Rights Agencies.  She has been recognized by the Dubuque Chapter of the NAACP with the Ruby Sutton Humanitarian award in recognition of outstanding service in the continued fight for freedom and justice, and by the Great Plains ADA Center with the Spirit of the ADA award.  She co-led an effort to establish the Multicultural Family Center in Dubuque and served on its Board of Directors from 2009 until 2021. She also ensured Dubuque was an inaugural member of the Government Alliance on Race & Equity in 2014, actively participating and presenting at GARE conferences and gatherings until she changed roles and became the Development & Learning Manager in 2021.

Personal background: Kelly was born and raised in the United States and is of Irish and German heritage. She spent her formative years developing multi-racial, multi-ethnic friendships with students at Divine Word College.  A first-generation college student, she worked as a food service worker, a crisis counselor, a psychiatric aide, and an assistant in a group home for youth with disabilities while pursuing her education.  She credits these rich experiences as setting the foundation of her passion for civil and human rights, and for advancing equity, inclusion, and belonging.  She is particularly committed to developing leaders with the skills to support environments and relationships where leaders from underrepresented and traditionally marginalized groups can thrive.

Academic:  Kelly acquired a BA in Psychology and a law degree from the University of Iowa in Iowa City.  She later completed an Intercultural Professional Certificate through the Institute for Intercultural Communication and is a qualified administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory and the suite of Connective Leadership Achieving Styles Inventories. She is also a Certified Professional in Talent Development through the Association for Talent Development.

Other interests: Kelly enjoys traveling, writing, and hiking in areas that allow her to practice amateur nature photography. She often spends time investigating discoveries in neuroscience, social psychology, and philosophy and is interested in the possibilities that can be created when we loosen our hold on limiting personal and cultural narratives.