Heather Kelley

Chief Information Officer at Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging

Crains Cleveland Business CIO of the year - 2017. Seasoned IT Strategist. Project Manager. Out of the box thinker. Change Manager. An experienced technology professional with more than 25 years in corporate and non-profit environment management. A creative professional with enthusiasm and the proven ability to manage the many aspects of corporate design, technology leadership, business alignment, business process re-engineering, organizational development, and mergers and acquisitions to a successful outcome. Results driven, providing unique perspectives from my positions in IT to C-level. Having a true passion for people and helping them adapt to change, I have made it my goal to help people learn smarter, reach higher and think outside the box. I am an advocate for good productive communication, strategic enterprise-wide planning and providing leadership to align what a business does with what a business needs and how to lead people before, during and after times of growth to successfully manage the people side of change. Project Management With a new office in great need in 2018, I was the lead project manager for a large 57,000 sq. foot buildout of a complete gut and build at the Reserve Square Building in downtown Cleveland. This was a large project that came to full completion in 10 month with a successful move of 300 employees over a weekend. This project consisted of planning IT network designs, hardware and security installations, furniture design along with interior design, and building security. Business Process Improvement It just takes too long. It costs too much money. It isn't really what we need. I excel with Lean Process and aligning what a business does with what a business needs. IT Strategy Your systems, processes and programs may be the root of your problem. Is what you have what you need and could there be less expensive, better options. I am able to find that needle in the haystack that is causing the gap. Organizational Development Every business has people and every business has jobs. But are they aligned? Do the people understand how what they do benefits the business? Is EVERYONE on the same page? It is the key to your success. Change Management Everything comes down to this. Is your business prepared for change? Are you experiencing rapid growth? It is the number one strategy that is commonly left out - leading people before, during and after these times of growth and successfully managing the people side of change.