Kelly Elliott is a leader who is passionate about driving strategic change and creating high-performing organizations. In 2023, she was selected NASA's chief human capital officer, responsible for leading the human capital practices that support NASA's workforce of more than 18,000 employees.
With more than 30 years of experience in consulting, finance, and human resources, Elliott is an expert in business management and transformation, including strategy and planning, organizational design, and large-scale human capital programs. She is a visionary leader who understands complex organizations and challenges and has designed and implemented innovative programs for maximum results and positive, lasting change.
In 2019, Elliott was named director of the Business Operations Division in NASA's agencywide Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer. She was responsible for the formulation and execution of the $160 million human capital budget; strategically managing all phases of the human capital information technology portfolio and lifecycle; and tracking and reporting performance metrics used to monitor and assess the effectiveness of NASA's human capital program. Elliott led the analysis, decision-making, planning, and resourcing for developing NASA's human resources technology infrastructure, including a virtual agent, to centralize and increase delivery of human resources services to the NASA workforce.
From 2017 to 2019, Elliott served as deputy director of human resources at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. She oversaw a $20 million budget and led initiatives aimed at attracting, retaining, and developing approximately 3,000 employees supporting the International Space Station, Orion, and Commercial Crew programs. Elliott is recognized for increasing employee engagement, strengthening workplace culture, and providing valuable human resources guidance to senior leadership.
Elliott joined NASA in 2004 as a human resources manager at Johnson. She led the center's human resources team and provided advice and counsel to directors, managers, and supervisors. Elliott implemented policy and process changes that enhanced operations and service delivery to Johnson's workforce. She also led the effort to standardize position descriptions, saving more than $450,000 annually. Elliott managed a multimillion-dollar program to create and deliver numerous employee training and organizational development programs.
Prior to joining NASA, Elliott spent 15 years in industry focusing on organizational change. Her work includes auditing and acquisition in financial services, transformation in higher education, management consulting for both independent and large consulting organizations, and technology development for a human resources outsourcing company.
Elliott has a bachelor's in business administration from Texas A&M University and a Master of Business Administration from University of Houston - Clear Lake.
