Meet Kelly, Our New Engagement and Media Relations Manager

November 1, 2024

We asked Kelly some questions to help everyone get to know our newest team member!

As a native Delawarean, what is your favorite place in Delaware? 

My favorite place in Delaware is the Brandywine Valley, specifically, along Rt. 100 up through Brandywine Creek State Park. I love taking in the sweeping landscapes while on a drive and the sunsets are always breathtaking. I also love Ashland Nature Center and Yorklyn. I grew up in   Hockessin, and I spent a lot of time in those areas tucked near the DE/PA border. I took art classes at the Center for the Creative Arts and horseback riding lessons at Barley Mill Stables. Lots of good memories in that area and I’ve always appreciated the older historic buildings nestled around nature. My family still enjoys hiking through Ashland when we’re together during the holidays. 

What is a hobby or interest you enjoy outside of work?     

I have always loved the arts and nature. In my free time, I like to spend time outside, catch live music, read, go hiking, or horseback riding. I’ve also always been highly creative, so being active in the arts has been a big part of my life. I enjoy creative writing, painting, and filmmaking. Of all the artistic mediums, I’m most passionate about filmmaking. I’ve been an independent filmmaker for a little over 10 years now and have been fortunate to direct several short films and documentaries. I’m currently finishing my next project, The Curse of Ligeia, a Gothic horror film adaptation of the Edgar Allan Poe short story “Ligeia” set in 1843. I’ve always loved period films and hope to continue making them in the future.  

As someone who makes period films in your spare time – if you had a time machine, what year would you like to go to and why? 

Lately I’ve been fascinated with the late Victorian era in America — around the 1880s to the 1910s. I think it was a really interesting time where we begin to see the early inception of a lot of modern inventions that we enjoy today. Things like movies, cars, radio, telephones, electricity, even the concept of vacations are starting to permeate society at that time. Also, the architecture from that era is just so stunning; to see it in its prime would be cool. Obviously, there were still many hardships and social constraints to contend with, but I think it would be interesting to be a fly on the wall and see what the world was like at a time of such rapid industrial and social change.  

What are you looking most forward to in your role as the Engagement and Media Relations Manager at Delaware Humanities? 

I’m really looking forward to telling Delaware Humanities story and making connections back in my home state. After 12 years working in Pennsylvania, it’s great to be working back in Delaware — especially for an organization that is aligned with my interests and values. I’m particularly excited about working on our upcoming podcast and integrating more video storytelling into Delaware Humanities’ communications.  

What is your favorite book or movie? 

This is a tough question only because I don’t think I could choose just one! As far as books, I would have to say A Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh or Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I am the oldest of three girls and I see a lot of myself in Jo March, so I’ve always loved that story. A Gift from the Sea is a wonderful meditation on life and is very inspiring. As far as movies, the 2005 Pride & Prejudice is my comfort film; as an adaptation it is one of my favorites and the cinematography is beautiful. I also love O, Brother Where Art Thou? and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford; these films were both shot by the cinematographer Roger Deakins and his style is just incredible. I love how they are both unconventional takes on period films. O Brother is basically the Odyssey set in 1930s Mississippi and Jesse James is a very stylistic, haunting take on a Western film.