Kevin Kelly

Associate Teaching Professor, School of Communications, Brigham Young University 

Kevin Kelly has been an Associate Teaching Professor in the School of Communications at Brigham Young University for sixteen years. He’s enjoyed teaching the creative track, strategic planning, account management, senior capstone classes and a special class of selected students who participate in AAF’s National Student Advertising Competition. Team BYU has competed for many years in the NSAC, where they won a number of district competitions and made it to the Finals in 2018. Many of Kelly’s students have received the Most Promising Multicultural Student award. He has served for four years on AAF’s National Executive Education Committee and helped secure this year’s NSAC sponsor, Adobe Experience Cloud of Advertising. 

Kelly came to BYU after twenty-five years in the advertising industry. He worked at Ogilvy & Mather, New York, for nineteen years, starting as a senior copywriter/producer and working his way up to creative director, senior partner and operating board member. One of his main clients at Ogilvy was Huggies diapers, which he handled for over twelve years and helped become the #1 diaper in America. He also worked on a number accounts including American Express, Nationwide Insurance, and many Kraft, Unilever and Hershey products. Before working at Ogilvy, Kelly spent five years at Bonneville Communications in Salt Lake City as a senior copywriter and producer. His key account at BonCom was the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for which he wrote and produced many award winning PSA’s. He’s won Addy, One Show, Andy, Gabriel and Clio awards for his work in advertising. 

Kelly graduated from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA., with a B.F.A. in film. He and his wife, Khaliel, live in Fairview, Utah, and are the parents of nine children and twenty-two grandchildren. Three of his sons work in advertising on the production side, so, advertising must be in their blood. Last year BYU’s ad program was rated #1 by College Magazine. Kelly is proud to be part of the devoted advertising faculty and staff that made it happen.