Kelly (Kleinkort) Montes

Executive Director, US Corporate Engagement

With two decades of leadership experience, Kelly has worked with Fortune 500 companies, leading CEOs, foreign governments, and institutions of higher education to build inclusive workplaces, policies, and conduct research for connection across peoples and cultures. The underpinning of her two decades of work has been connecting across differences, whether via her time and work in Inner Mongolia, China, while hosting heads of state for diplomatic dialogue, or training executives on how to be inclusive leaders.

Kelly joined Catalyst in May 2019 and currently oversees the largest segment for the Catalyst supporter portfolio–the U.S. She works alongside a cadre of talented Relationship Managers to deliver value via thought partnership, actionable research, and solutions to build inclusive workplaces and expand Catalyst impact. Kelly frequently speaks on empathy, inclusive leadership, conversations across differences, emotional tax, and allyship; during her time with Catalyst, she has delivered over 70 speaking engagements.

Kelly is a Fulbright Scholar as well as a Young Sinologist, a fellowship awarded by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Kelly holds a BA in Speech Communication from Texas A&M University, an MPA from UNC-Chapel Hill and a language certificate from Inner Mongolia University of China, where she lived and worked for three years.

Talks About
#research

Preferred Locations
#NorthAmerica