Kelly Loeffler, a businesswoman, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and former U.S. Senator from Georgia, believes that if you’re not serving, you’re not leading.

Growing up on a farm in Illinois, Kelly learned from a young age the importance of faith, family, and hard work. From working in her family’s soybean fields and cattle feedlots, to waiting tables in high school and college, Kelly’s strong work ethic and sense of personal responsibility opened up the hard-earned opportunities that would inspire a life of service and a dedication to protecting the American Dream.

Kelly’s passion for service started early in school, church and her local 4-H club. Her passion only grew when she was the first person in her family to graduate from college, when she was determined to make the most of her education by achieving success and helping others to do the same.

Kelly received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and later earned an MBA from DePaul University. She built a nearly three-decade career advancing in the automotive and financial services industries at companies including Toyota Motor Sales USA, Citigroup and William Blair.

Having gained additional experience in venture capital, Kelly turned her focus to building and growing start-up companies. In 2002, she was recruited to help lead Intercontinental Exchange’s (NYSE: ICE) successful IPO on the New York Stock Exchange. She served as SVP of Investor Relations, Chief Communications Officer and Chief Marketing Officer while contributing to more than a dozen transactions – including the company’s acquisition of the NYSE in 2013. As a member of the executive leadership team at ICE, she helped grow the company from a start-up with less than 100 employees, to a Fortune 500 company that now employs more than 10,000.

With that experience, Kelly raised capital, built a team and launched Bakkt (NYSE: BKKT) as its Founding Chief Executive Officer in 2018, growing the company to 70 employees and completing the first two successful acquisitions. The fintech, positioned at the intersection of digital assets, custody, and payments, later became a publicly traded company.

In December 2019, Kelly was appointed to represent Georgia in the U.S. Senate upon the retirement of Senator Johnny Isakson. As a self-made businesswoman and political outsider in Washington, she pursued an aggressive legislative agenda to defend the values that had enabled her to live the American Dream – all while campaigning tirelessly across the state. She served on the Senate Agriculture, Veterans Affairs, HELP, and Joint Economic Committees – where she authored and championed multiple bills that were passed into law ensuring that Georgians had an outsized voice in Washington. She donated every Senate paycheck to charities across the state of Georgia to fulfill her commitment to delivering results and servant leadership while in office.

After her time in the Senate, Kelly continued her calling to serve by founding Greater Georgia Action in 2021 to help grow the conservative movement. A statewide voter-mobilization effort, Greater Georgia works on the ground to register new voters, engage diverse communities, and protect election integrity year-round. Kelly understands firsthand that America’s founding principles are under attack in Washington and locally – and is dedicated to preserving the American ideals of freedom and opportunity for all by funding and volunteering in her capacity as Chairwoman of Greater Georgia.

For over a decade, Kelly devoted her resources and efforts as a 50% owner of the WNBA Atlanta Dream. Along with her business partner, Kelly was an early visionary for supporting a platform to empower women in sports, and was one of the first members of the Atlanta business community willing to finance and invest in the success of the Atlanta Dream. Together, they gave women a meaningful opportunity to compete at the highest levels of professional basketball until the sale of the Dream in 2021.

In 2010, Kelly co-chaired the successful Georgia Republican Party Victory effort, served as a Presidential Elector in 2012, and as a Presidential Delegate to the FIFA Women’s World Cup in France in 2019. Along with her husband, she was named a Georgian of the Year in 2015 by James Magazine and received the Millennium Gate Prize in 2018.

Kelly and her husband Jeff reside in Atlanta and maintain an active presence in the community. She has served on numerous corporate and nonprofit boards including the Atlanta Sports Council, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Bakkt Inc., Grady Memorial Hospital Corp., Georgia Research Alliance, Metro Atlanta Red Cross, and Skyland Trail. She currently serves on the Boards of the Republican State Leadership Committee, the University System of Georgia Foundation, and Atlanta’s Holy Spirit Preparatory School.

Kelly earned her undergraduate degree in Business Administration from the College of Commerce at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and an MBA from DePaul University’s Kellstadt Graduate School of Business. She is a CFA® charterholder.

Through all her accomplishments, Kelly’s greatest joy is her family and faith, closely followed by serving her state and country. She continues – and will always continue – working tirelessly to protect life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all Americans.