Ariana Announces for Annapolis

Former NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland Executive Director Ariana Kelly has announced her candidacy for District 16 Delegate. Following is her press release.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jamie Fontaine

Email: jfontaine@fontainecompany.com

Ariana Kelly Announces Candidacy for the Maryland House of Delegates 

Pledges to be a Principled Advocate for District 16 Families

BETHESDA, MARYLAND – Promising experienced leadership for the people of the 16th Legislative District, Ariana Kelly today announced her candidacy for the Maryland House of Delegates in the 2010 election.

“I believe we need an experienced leader who will serve our community responsibly, with integrity and compassion,” said Kelly, 33, who was joined by her husband Barak and their two young children. “I have a proven record of accomplishment, I understand Annapolis, and I have a lifetime of demonstrated commitment on the issues that matter most: protecting and improving our schools, our environment, and our economy.”

Kelly, a third-generation Bethesda resident and graduate of Walter Johnson High School, has extensive experience working on state policy issues and building strong working relationships and coalitions. She is the former Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland, where she more than doubled the annual budget and successfully advocated for policies to expand access to family planning information and services in Maryland.

Kelly currently serves as National Campaign Director for MomsRising.org, a million-member online advocacy organization that works to build a more family-friendly country. Kelly leads both the Environmental Health and Fair Pay initiatives at MomsRising. She is also a founding member of the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families campaign steering committee, where she works to pass policies that benefit public health, the environment, and business.

Kelly has served on the boards of the Democratic Women’s PAC of Maryland and the NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland PAC. A former journalist, Kelly produced PBS’ weekly news program, To The Contrary, where she covered a variety of issues including business, education, and health care.

Kelly is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she studied history and film production. While Ariana has deep roots in Bethesda, her husband Barak is a first-generation American whose parents emigrated from Yemen and Romania. Barak was raised in Israel and Baltimore, and graduated from the University of Maryland, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of The Diamondback. Their daughter, Maeve (5) will attend Wood Acres Elementary school in the fall. Their son, Leo (3), attends a child care center in Bethesda.