Kelly Sweeney McShane
Board Chair
Community of Hope, President & Chief Executive Officer
Kelly Sweeney McShane is a well-respected and innovative nonprofit leader in Washington, DC. For over 20 years, she has worked tirelessly to improve the lives of homeless and low-income families through providing direct services as well as finding long-term solutions through system change. Her bold leadership in housing systems and healthcare delivery is transforming care in both fields.
Kelly has been President and CEO of Community of Hope (COH) since 2001. Her leadership and foresight have grown COH from a budget of $1.8 million to $16 million, allowing the organization to serve six times more families and individuals. Founded in 1980, COH provides housing for homeless families, affordable, quality healthcare in a family practice model, and employment services. Kelly has led the organization through successfully completing goals in three strategic plans and the fourth plan has just been launched. Kelly’s dedication to serving homeless and low-income families in the District means that the organization’s growth is driven steadily by the needs of patients and clients. In the past five years, COH has added two new health centers and increased the number of families served in a variety of housing programs. COH, in partnership with another nonprofit, provided leadership in implementing a uniform assessment system for all families experiencing homelessness, and this system is now used across the homeless continuum in DC. COH’s new strategic plan includes a bold stretch goal of increasing family sustaining income for the families we serve. In 2012, she led Community of Hope to receive the prestigious Washington Post Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management, recognizing a number of innovative organizational practices.
Kelly has provided leadership at a city level in transforming systems to help low-income families. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the DC Primary Care Association, as a member of the DC Bar Pro Bono Community Economic Development Project Advisory Committee, and as a member of the Federal City Council. From 2006 to 2017, Kelly was a member of the Mayor’s Interagency Council on Homelessness, including co-chairing the Strategic Planning Committee. She worked on developing the past two five-year Plans to End Homelessness, including most recently Homeward DC released in April 2015. She has previously served as a board member of 501cTech, Franciscan Mission Service, and the Center for Non-profit Advancement. She is a member of the 2006 class of Leadership Greater Washington.She received a Master’s in Business Administration from Georgetown University and has a Bachelor’s from Harvard University.
Kelly has won numerous awards, including the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation's Exponent Award, which recognizes nonprofit leadership. Kelly also was recognized as a Champion of Change by the DC Primary Care Association in 2011. In 2015, she won a Washington Women of Excellence award for her dedication to improving the quality of life for low-income and underserved persons. She is the recipient of the Washington Business Journal's Women Who Mean Business Award, which honors the region's most influential businesswomen who have not only made an impact in their industry, but have made a difference in their communities. Most recently, Kelly received an Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Real Estate Award from the University of Maryland.
Kelly previously served as Executive Director of Hannah House, a transitional housing program for homeless women in the District of Columbia, and was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Sierra Leone, West Africa. She is the co-author of a book entitled Winning Ways: Great Nonprofit Management Ideas. She lives in Washington, DC with her husband Kevin McShane, and they are parents to three adult children.