Kelli D. Kelley founded Hand to Hold in 2010 after struggling for years with difficulties
surrounding the premature births of both of her children. She now invests her time and
talents to raise awareness about the high incidence of anxiety, depression and
post-traumatic stress disorder among NICU parents and advocating for hospital and
community based programs to ensure better outcomes for babies and families.
Kelli has a Bachelor’s of Journalism from The University of Texas at Austin. She serves as
Vice President of the board of directors for the National Coalition for Infant Health, as a
parent expert for the AAP TECaN Advocacy Campaign of NICU family mental health, and is
a founding member of the NICU Parent Network.
Kelli was named a 2020 Woman to Watch from Austin Woman Magazine for her leadership
in NICU parent support. She has also been named a 2015 Outstanding Austin
Communicator from Woman Communicators of Austin, 2011 Local Hero through Bank of
America’s Neighborhood Excellence Initiative® and a 2011 Health Care Hero through the
Austin Business Journal. She is the 2010 recipient of the Austin Under 40 Award for
Medical and Health Care, and an ENERGIZER Keep Going Hall of Fame Semifinalist.
Kelli lives in Austin, TX with her husband and long-hair, diva dachshund. In her free-time
she enjoys reading, listening to podcasts, and keeping up with her NICU graduates, who
are now in college.