Meet Kelly Maxwell

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Maxwell.

Hi Kelly, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am the CEO and Executive Director of Baby’s Bounty. I am a native Las Vegan with deep ties to my community. Prior to my current role, I’ve had a variety of interesting jobs, including COO of a technology-based ticketing company, working in the hospitality sector in events management and restaurant consulting, and I’ve owned my own catering company. While the through line to those jobs may not seem obvious, I understand it clearly that every single one of those positions has been about taking care of people. Whether through direct service or innovation, I strive to create meaningful interactions and solutions with and for each client/customer.

Currently, the nonprofit that I run has the mission of providing a good start for every baby, which we endeavor to do with many impactful programs, including the Baby Bundle, our statewide Diaper Banks, and our recently created Diapers for Diplomas program. We also advocate for policy surrounding diaper needs and recently passed a bill through the Nevada State Legislature which removes the sales tax on diapers. Additionally, I serve as the governor-appointed Chair of the Statewide Diaper Resource Committee.

In continuing to look for ways to serve my community, I recently decided to create a Child Care Solutions Committee with local stakeholders who can all work together to provide some practical solutions for the childcare problem in Nevada.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Our 15-year-old nonprofit has seen a 2,900% increase in the number of clients served since the pandemic. To say that there were some struggles along the way would be an understatement. First and foremost, when we launched our diaper bank in May of 2020 as a result of the tremendous need in our community and the lack of a consistent diaper resource in the state of Nevada, we never intended on continuing this program beyond the pandemic. As the need for diapering supplies continued to increase, we doubled down on our commitment and now operate in four municipalities and provide outreach to rural, underserved areas with our two mobile diaper banks. This is a big lift with just seven paid employees. Diapering an entire state is not only a logistical challenge but also a financial one. Since the inception of our diaper banks, we have distributed 3 million diapers and 6 million wipes to over 40,000 Nevadans statewide.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As the CEO and Executive Director of a nonprofit, I direct the strategic goals and operations of the organization. I work with our talented Board of Directors to set our priorities and funding strategy, ensuring the continuity of our mission. I commonly refer to myself as a “Compassion Hustler”, which is to say that I make extending compassion, dignity, and respect, to each of the clients whom we serve, as the top priority at Baby’s Bounty. We need for our clients to understand that they are making excellent parenting choices by accessing our services. We reinforce this by treating them with the same level of customer service that one might experience at the five-star resorts here in our state. I intentionally hired employees from the hospitality sector for this very reason. Our clients routinely describe the experience of attending our diaper bank events as “like visiting friends” – we remember their names and their children’s names, we thank them for coming, and tell them that we can’t wait to see them again next month. This is all done with the purpose and intentionality of removing the shame from utilizing social services and reinforcing dignity. I am most proud of assembling a team who believes in this ethos and practices it daily.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
This year, we launched a program called Diapers for Diplomas which provides diaper “scholarships” to parenting students enrolled in colleges or universities to support them as they achieve their educational goals. Knowing very little about the inter-workings of this space, I relied on my friend, Dr. DeRionne Pollard, President of Nevada State University for all things related to higher education in our state. Although Dr. Pollard is relatively new to Nevada, she has worked in higher ed her entire career and was previously president of two colleges in other states. In addition to her experience and powerful role, she is a tremendous leader who is very well-liked and respected in our state. When I initially had the idea for Diapers for Diplomas, she was the first person who I reached out to. Not only did she offer her insight, but she so generously offered some of her institution’s research to me as well as near unfettered access to staff. DeRionne and her team championed the program, and although her institution is the smallest by enrollment of the five partner institutions, it has the largest number of students receiving diapers from the program. I continue to seek her advice as I look to solve problems in our community, whether they are related to high education or not. Her knowledge, background, and generosity make her an incredibly valuable friend and colleague.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.babysbounty.org
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/babysbountynv
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/babysbountynv/
• Twitter: @babysbountylv