Kelly Marshall (she/her) joined the Alabama Rivers Alliance team in 2015 bringing significant experience in public relations and event planning. As Deputy Director, she manages the external and internal communications strategies, event planning and administrative aspects of the organization.

She has been an avid believer in and promoter of the wealth of talent, cultural history and natural beauty throughout Alabama for more years than she cares to admit. Prior to joining ARA, she managed the communications strategies for Birmingham Artwalk, Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival (now Sidewalk Film Festival), Birmingham Arts & Music Festival and other events in Alabama. In addition to her non-profit and event experience, Kelly also developed comms strategies for a variety of clients including Barenbrug Seed Company, Simply Fashion, Curtiss Motorcycles, Village Tavern, WorkPlay and many more. You might also catch her name in the rolling credits of films like Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Two Weeks, Americano and Open Window. She is thrilled to be able to welcome and work closely with emerging documentary filmmakers each year as Impact Producer of ARA’s Southern Exposure Film Fellowship program.

When not at work, which is rare, Kelly serves as the Secretary of the Highland Park Neighborhood Association and has been a member of the Birmingham Artwalk Board of Directors and Event Team for 20 years. She keeps busy by watching nearly every single thing on TV (even the bad stuff), and dreaming about traveling. Right before Covid hit the US, she rescued a pretty amazing kitty named Rain, who Kelly likes to believe was named after the Led Zeppelin song. So, of course, she kept the name.