Olivia B. Kelly

Co-Founder and CEO, WellStart Health

Los Angeles

Olivia Kelly, MPH, began her lifelong expedition in healthcare by starting a fitness training business in her undergrad days at UCLA, where she earned her bachelor's degree in psychology. After gigs teaching surfing on Maui and writing for the Rough Guides, her father informed her that she would have to go indoors to earn a living. A stint working in the first dot com boom for an early internet service provider got her thinking about how to harness social networks and mass communication to inspire healthier lifestyles. Her writing and communications background led her to a communications director and speechwriter role with a Los Angeles city councilmember, whom she helped position for a subsequent role as U.S. Congresswoman. It was her experience in the council deputy job that inspired Olivia to study health policy. After graduating from UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health in 2013, in the department of Health Policy and Management, Olivia worked at UCLA’s Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities, spearheading an impact investing project focused on improving population health throughout the lifecourse.

An idea Olivia first developed in one of her MPH courses just wouldn't go away, and, a few iterations later, is what has now become WellStart Health.

Olivia is perpetually excited about sharing the innumerable benefits of a healthy lifestyle with others. Her favorite vegetable is eggplant – yes, a nightshade -- and she loves spending time with her family, running, surfing, skiing, camping, traveling, and cleaning up cereal spills, along with an affinity for Latin American culture.