Ariana Kelly, Vice Chair,
Health & Government Operations Committee
Representing District 16 in the
Maryland House of Delegates.
Ariana is a lifelong advocate for Montgomery County. She has a proven track record in Annapolis and Washington on issues that matter to Montgomery County, including health care, the environment, and education. In 2010, she was elected to Maryland’s House of Delegates representing the 16th District, which includes Bethesda, North Bethesda, Chevy Chase, and Potomac.
Ariana serves as Vice Chair of the legislature’s Health and Government Operations Committee, and Chairs the Health Occupations and Long Term Care Subcommittee. She also Chairs the Joint Committee on Children, Youth, and Families, and serves on the Healthcare Workforce Commission and the Maryland Medicaid Advisory Commission. She is a member of the National Conference of State Legislators Task Force on State Innovation in Healthcare.
Ariana served for six years as Chair of the Montgomery County Economic Development Committee, where she prioritized expanding opportunity for small businesses, improving the business climate, and protecting the workforce. Ariana served seven years as a Deputy Majority Whip, where she helped secure the votes for landmark gun safety and criminal justice reform legislation. She was also elected four times by her colleagues to Chair the Montgomery County House Democratic Caucus, the political arm of the largest delegation in Maryland.
Ariana was elected to serve five years on the Board of Women Legislator’s of Maryland, including serving as President in 2018, the year of #MeToo. Delegate Kelly led the Women’s Caucus in a successful effort to fundamentally reform the legislature’s anti- sexual harassment policies. She is also an Associate Member of the legislature’s Latino Caucus and a member of the Transit Caucus. She is a proud member of the National Association of Jewish Legislators and the Irish American State Legislators Caucus.
. Ariana with Irish Senate President Mark Daly.
In the legislature, Ariana has been the lead sponsor of nearly 100 pieces of law including Maryland’s 2022 Abortion Care Access Act. She was the original author and longtime champion the Time To Care Act, which passed in 2022 after a decade long statewide campaign. Delegate Kelly was Co-Chair of the Task Force to Implement Paid Family & Medical Leave in Maryland, Co-Chair of the Habilitative Services Task Force, and lead sponsor of Maryland’s health insurance network adequacy law, the autism insurance law, the child care tax credit expansion and more.
Ariana has been recognized as a national leader for her innovative legislative work to advance women, children and families and create economic opportunity. The Contraceptive Equity Act (2016), Consent in Sex Education (2018), and Abortion Care Access Act (2022) were groundbreaking bills that garnered national media attention and become model legislation replicated by countless states. Delegate Kelly has been honored for her work by national organizations including SEICUS, the Healthy Teen Network, The National Conference of State Legislators, Ms. Magazine, and Autism Speaks. Delegate Kelly’s tireless work on health care equity, access and affordability, elder care and child care has been recognized by organizations including the Maryland Hospital Association, Maryland State Childcare Association, Maryland Psychological Association, Planned Parenthood of Maryland and Maryland Nurses Association. Her work has been featured on MSNBC and ABC News, and in outlets including The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Cosmopolitan, The New York Times, and NPR’s Marketplace.
Ariana Kelly’s Lifelong Commitment to Public Service
Ariana graduated from Walter Johnson High School and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. While there, she developed a passion for advocacy on public health and violence prevention issues as a student health advocate. Ariana returned to Montgomery County, where she started her career helping connect people with social services at Travelers Aid International. Ariana went on to work at Girls Inc, and Legal Momentum. Ariana also volunteered for numerous Democratic political campaigns, and public health nonprofits. She was Executive Producer of PBS’ To The Contrary, a weekly news program. She covered a wide range of issues including state and federal legislation, business, education, health, and the environment. She also served as Executive Director at NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland and National Campaign Director at MomsRising. Through her work at MomsRising, Ariana has honed her skills working on a wide array of policy issues, including environmental health, family economic security, early learning, and more. Highlights include working on the successful Maryland BPA bill (and similar bills in other states), federal reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act, healthcare reform, and the Paycheck Fairness Act.
Ariana Kelly’s Deep Local Roots
Ariana grew up in Bethesda and attended Ashburton Elementary, Tilden Intermediate School, and Walter Johnson High School. Her mother grew up in Bethesda (Rosedale Ave) and her father nearby in Kensington (Summit Ave). She has numerous aunts, uncles and cousins still in Montgomery County.
Ariana and her husband Stephen live in Bethesda with their four children: Jordyn, Dylan, Maeve and Leo. Jordyn is a recent graduate of UMD-College Park, Dylan is in the School of Engineering at College Park. Maeve recently graduated Walter Johnson High School (where she served as Chair of the Maryland High School Democrats!) and Leo just finished eighth grade at North Bethesda Middle School.
