Kelly Friedlander is the CEP & Principal Consultant of Community Bridges. A results-oriented, creative, and dedicated intellectual and developmental disability professional, Kelly has 15+ years of progressive responsibility in advocacy, policy analysis, and program development/administration. She excels at facilitating outreach and cross-agency collaboration that empower people with developmental disabilities and family members to be advocates and leaders. A strategic problem-solver, she has the ability to work across all levels of an organization and uncover ways to become more person-centered, reduce unnecessary staff activity and expense, and produce better outcomes for the organization and individuals served. Kelly has a proven track record supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live valued lives of their own design.
Kelly consults primarily on stakeholder engagement, advocacy, and developing innovative solutions to meet systems changes. She has worked on stakeholder engagement and policy analysis projects for clients such as the National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services, RHA Howell, the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities, and Anthem Healthcare. Prior to founding Community Bridges, Kelly served as the Director of Systems Change Management at the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities where she oversaw the strategic planning and program implementation of $1.5 million of Council-funded initiatives annually. Before moving to North Carolina, Kelly served as the Operational Manager of Pyramid, Inc., the largest day training program in Florida. She also has experience working within a state government, as she provided oversight to the Developmental Services Quality Assurance Contract at Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration. She began her career in intellectual and/or developmental disabilities as a Direct Support Professional.
Kelly holds a Masters of Social Work, a Masters of Public Administration, and a Bachelors of Social Work. In addition, she is a graduate from the National Leadership Consortium on Developmental Disabilities Leadership Institute.