Claire Kelly

About Claire Kelly

I am an entrepreneurial leader who thrives when navigating ambiguous situations and solving multidimensional challenges. As a well-seasoned program designer and project manager, I have a track record of getting new and ambitious initiatives off the ground even amidst fast-changing regulatory environments.An extrovert with a creative personality, I take a service-oriented approach to supporting my team and clients. I am an empathetic and effective communicator and intentional relationship builder. Focused, detail-oriented and proactive, I favor instinct and originality, and I care deeply about building sustainable, community-driven businesses and collaborations.I am equal parts: innovation, strategy, and execution. My job experience is rooted in both visionary entrepreneurial work, as well as considerable operations and client portfolio management. I know how to articulate a vision and make it happen. I strive to make complex programs and projects simple, effective, impactful, and accessible, as well as to maximize delivery value and client trust.

Experience

1. Founder & Director

   Educational Experiences Abroad Llc

   Mar 2016 — Present

   EEAbroad is a highly-tailored academic travel provider that specializes in short-term, immersive programs in Cuba. We are driven by positive social impact and are passionate about enhancing curriculums, as well as the overall student experience. We have designed well-received programs with such themes as Afro-Cuban music and dance; history, culture and politics; language; business; sports; sustainable agriculture. Our clients have included the University of Michigan, Yale University, School of Ethics and Global Leadership, New York University, and the University of Minnesota. Our mission is to provide travelers with experiences that respect the host country’s values and provoke reflections on their own culture while learning about themselves and what matters most to them both at home and abroad.In this role as the Founder & Director of EEAbroad, I have built the business from inception and I have and continue to:• Manage all financial, operational, and sales functions of the company.• Create, maintain, and expand a strong client portfolio of academic clients and high-end travelers.• Hire, train, and supervise activities of global, cross-functional staff, creating all procedures and company culture.• In response to the pandemic, produced and delivered sustainable virtual global learning modules for diverse classroom settings and curricular needs.• Resiliently respond to adaptive industry and policy changes (e.g. U.S. administrative changes to U.S-Cuba travel, the Havana sonic attacks, etc.).• Create, uphold, and utilize emergency response procedures in multidimensional situations.• Negotiate terms and issues within the staff, as well as with client contracts, government licensing, audits, insurance, and banking in U.S, Cuban, and Colombian settings.

Education

• Middlebury College

  Master of Arts (M.A.), Spanish Linguistics

  2011 — 2012

• Gettysburg College

  Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Major: Psychology | Minor: Religion | Special concentration: Holocaust Studies

  2004 — 2008