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NGAUS will welcome a new head of membership and marketing in the coming weeks.
Retired Brig. Gen. Maria Kelly, who has served the National Guard in and out of uniform for more than 38 years, will take over as director of membership & marketing in mid-May. She succeeds Michele Mahoney, who has served in that role since April 2019.
Mahoney, who has either volunteered or worked for the Guard associations her entire adult life, said leaving the association was “a little weird,” but said she is confident in the leadership of Kelly to continue to move the membership needle in a positive direction.
“It has been an honor to serve the 54 associations,” she said. “The NGAUS team is made up of some very creative professionals and I will miss collaborating on projects with them in the future.”
Kelly, who retired from the Ohio Army National Guard in 2016, most recently served as executive director and insurance administrator of the Ohio National Guard Association for the past six years.
“I am very excited for this opportunity to support the National Guard as part of the NGAUS staff. NGAUS is critical to the National Guard's ability to maintain readiness,” she said. “From the very beginning of our careers as commissioned officers or warrant officers, we have the opportunity to make a difference through our membership and engagement with NGAUS.”
Mahoney, like Kelly, brought vast state association experience to her role at NGAUS. She served as executive director for the National Guard Association of Kansas for 13 years and spent a year term as president of the National Guard Executive Directors Association.
Kelly has served for many years as an elected officer and active member of the Ohio National Guard Association. She currently serves on the executive committee of NGEDA and is a former member of the Payroll Deduction Coordinating Board.
