Community | Lion VoicesMarch 28, 2024

Chris Kelly: New Beginnings and Championing Change

Written By: Ian Silvester

Coming to the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith in the summer of 2019 was a fresh start for Assistant Vice Chancellor of Marketing Chris Kelly. After trading in a career as a radio news personality and station manager, Kelly found a home at his alma mater, Pittsburg State University, in Pittsburg, Kansas. For nearly a decade, Kelly oversaw communications, licensing, and marketing and even served as the Associate Athletic Director for the Gorillas.

However, life seldom unfolds as anticipated.

In March of 2017, cancer took Kelly’s wife, Missi, from him after two decades of wedded bliss. As he tried to move on from the pain of her death, a position at UAFS opened a window of opportunity for Kelly to take the change he needed.

New Place, Same Face

While at Pitt State, Kelly witnessed and was part of what he calls “generational change.”

“When I say ‘generational change,’ I’m thinking of what regionals do,” Kelly explained. “When one student earns their degree, their entire family is more likely to go to college. You see the impact it’s having and the ripple effect long after we’re gone.”

As Kelly looked more closely at UAFS and the opportunity it provided, he saw himself fitting in and being part of the change happening in the region.

“I wanted to be a part of a team where that was important and part of a community that really embraced its university,” he said.

Little did Kelly know, the decision to come to UAFS would be more than just a change of scenery.

In October 2019, Kelly visited Independence, Kansas, for a 30-year class reunion. There, he ran into a former classmate, Kathy. The pair hit it off immediately. Despite the distance between them, with Kathy living in Independence and Kelly in Fort Smith, they have been inseparable ever since.

Kelly proposed to Kathy in early December 2023. Thankfully, she said ‘yes,’ he joked.

Packed a Bag of Experience

Although Kelly accepted his role at UAFS with nearly a decade of experience in a similar capacity at Pitt State, the experience he’s carried throughout his life makes him successful in what he does.

Hailing from Independence, a town of fewer than 9,000 people according to the latest census data, Kelly was used to life in a small town. His parents always wanted the best for him and felt that going to college like they did would be the best path to success in life.

After high school, Kelly attended Independence Community College before transferring to Pitt State to pursue a degree in communications and broadcasting. As he reflected on his college career, Kelly spoke of it fondly in its preparation for his future.

“I loved my college experience. I loved the hands-on nature of it,” Kelly said. “I loved having the opportunity and a safe zone to make mistakes. To me, in some ways, that’s what college is. You can go out and explore what you think you want to do. You can make a few mistakes, knock some of those edges off, and have somebody to show you what you did wrong and how to get better.”

As a transfer student, Kelly understands the stresses some UAFS students can face. Coming to UAFS, he was pleased to see what the university was doing to help those students and how the university prioritized student success and retention.

“As a student, it’s important to take a breath and know it’s not all on your shoulders on day one. Don’t be afraid to raise your hand and say, ‘I need a little help.’ At UAFS, someone will get you to the right person, no matter how or who you ask.

“When it comes to choices, you chose to be a Lion. To me, that means that we need to step forward and actively reach out when you raise your hand and say, ‘Yeah, we want to help,’” he said proudly.

Be the Change

As a marketer, Kelly approaches things with optimism and the ability to turn a vision into reality.

Starting at UAFS shortly after the hiring of Chancellor Dr. Terisa Riley, Kelly, his former boss, the late Stacey Jones, and Riley all had an idea for how to boost the perception of UAFS across Fort Smith and the River Valley.

“We knew the community was proud of the university, but sometimes they didn’t know why they were proud other than it was their university,” Kelly said.

Kelly targeted apparel, athletics, and entertainment as ways to build a bridge between the community and campus.

In addition to supporting student recruitment initiatives, Kelly and his team have helped increase the marketing of the Stacey Jones Season of Entertainment and athletic events. They have also worked to bring new university gear and athletic gear to the campus bookstore. Behind the efforts of Kelly and his team, the university became the first in the state to have its logo displayed on an ARDOT institutional sign. It can be found near the exit for UAFS when traveling along I-540.

Kelly's most significant accomplishments to UAFS have happened since he arrived. Even while navigating the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, Kelly and his team forged ahead, focusing on their rebranding initiative, redesigning and migrating the university website, and increasing community engagement.

He said the effort put in by his team to rebrand the university – implementing a new logo and mission – while redesigning the website and moving it to a new CRM platform at the same time is his proudest accomplishment to date.

“It shows that anything is possible when you have folks as talented as ours,” Kelly said proudly.

The work put in by Kelly and his team on the website even earned them recognition by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, or CASE. In 2022, they won a CASE Circle of Excellence award for the website promotional video launch. Another accomplishment in the 14-month-long redesign, reorganization, and relaunch of the university website.

But Kelly’s work hasn’t stopped there. He helped unveil the Paint the Town Blue and UAFS Perk Stop initiatives this year.

Thanks to Kelly, the 2023-2024 academic year began with an outpouring of community support and involvement, welcoming students to UAFS and the city. Businesses and offices painted the town with posters and shared photos of their support of UAFS. Kelly said partnerships with city and state leaders further increased the university’s visibility by installing new street banners in downtown Fort Smith and decals on traffic signal boxes throughout the area.

The UAFS Perk Stop has brought financial support to all who represent the Lions by offering discounts and special offers for UAFS students, faculty, and staff at local businesses. Kelly and his team designed a blue stop sign that companies could place in their windows to show customers they were part of the program. Kelly has helped develop a web page for those businesses to register for quick and convenient access.

Through his work, Kelly has found that “people are proud of their blue; people are proud of this university.”

Chris; Reinvented

As Kelly approaches five years at UAFS, his search for a fresh start proved to be just that and more.

Since he started at UAFS, Kelly met Kathy, began traveling around the area for what he calls ‘Exploration Saturday,’ where he highlights the state's natural beauty, and formed a team that helped reinvigorate the community’s love for the Lions.

However, some things always stayed the same for him after the move. He remains a “rabid Chiefs fan,” and three Super Bowls since his arrival has kept his love strong. Kelly also has a concrete goose, the “Kelly Goose,” which is worthy of its own social media page with its many outfits and decorations.

Kelly’s passion for what he does has remained the same, even after trading in the red and yellow of Pitt State for the blue and white of UAFS.

“I love what I do. I was blessed to be able to come here and work with an incredible team to build upon those who came before and to be given the ability to hopefully help spread the blue and white throughout the community and campus,” he said with a smile. “I hope people see me as a cheerleader, not on the team, of course. I’m not a national champion like our cheer team, but I love bragging about my Lions everywhere I go.”

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