Chelsea O’Kelley

Chelsea O’Kelley serves as the director of communications for the State Chamber/AIA. In this role, O’Kelley coordinates and oversees public relations, marketing, and communications strategies for the State Chamber/AIA.

Prior to joining the team at the State Chamber/AIA, O’Kelley served as communications director at the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, where she led the agency’s efforts to coordinate and implement public relations strategies to promote business activity and economic growth throughout the state. O’Kelley formerly served in the Governor’s Office under the leadership of Governor Asa Hutchinson. She held several different titles over the course of her five-year tenure in the Governor’s Office. In 2018, she was named Governor Hutchinson’s press secretary, becoming at that time the youngest gubernatorial press secretary in the nation. Governor Hutchinson later promoted O’Kelley to deputy director of communications, a title she held throughout the remainder of her tenure in the Governor’s Office.

A native of Garland, Texas, O’Kelley graduated summa cum laude from John Brown University with a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations. She is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma Economic Development Institute and Leadership Arkansas Class XVII. O’Kelley is an active member of her local church and has also been involved in nonprofits Immerse Arkansas and Dwellings. She and her husband, Clint, live in Fayetteville with their two daughters.