Kellen Braddock

With a lifelong passion for poetry, Kellen Braddock achieves her greatest sense of purpose and fulfillment when pushing the needle forward for literary organizations. Before moving to Las Vegas, she was the business and operations director for Hugo House, Seattle’s literary arts center. In her spare time, she also served as a commissioner for the Seattle Center, an ambassador for On the Boards, and a volunteer arts business clinic consultant.

While pursuing her MFA in Arts Leadership from Seattle University, Kellen was the finance and development director for a small press and independent literature festival called APRIL (or “Authors, Publishers, and Readers of Independent Literature”). Before that, she developed her arts administration chops while working for Shunpike, a nonprofit that supports small to mid-sized arts groups with all aspects of the “business of art.” As a fiscal sponsorship manager, she extended financial services, reviewed grants, and secured licenses, permits, and insurance for over 200 arts groups annually.

Kellen received her undergraduate degree in English from the University of Michigan, where she was the recipient of the Rapaport Prize, Cowden Fellowship, and the Hopwood Award for her poetry.