With over 20 years of experience serving children, Kelly Cates has dedicated her career to breaking down barriers and helping kids thrive. She began in marketing at a Fortune 500 tech company, where stock options and big ad accounts kept things exciting—but not fulfilling. Trading corporate life for graduate studies in Theatre in Education at the University of Texas at Austin, she focused on marginalized youth and experiential learning.

For nearly a decade, Kelly used the arts to support children in therapeutic and educational settings, from Bosnian refugees to children with autism spectrum disorders.

She returned to Charlotte in 2008 with newborn twins, teaching at Children’s Theatre of Charlotte before joining A Child’s Place, where she later led programs serving more than 2,000 homeless children and families.

In 2016, Kelly joined Promising Pages, combining her love of books & serving children. As the driving force behind the organization’s operational growth and innovative programs, Promising Pages has become a trusted community resource and national leader in book access. Her commitment to Promising Pages and passion for the mission are evident. As she puts it, “As dream jobs go, you can’t get any better than being around books every day and helping children fall in love with them.”