Her Story
About Kelly
Kelly Race is a leadership and learning development executive with 18 years of experience spanning organizational training, operations leadership, and workforce performance strategy across multi-location environments. Throughout her career, she has led and supported large-scale leadership development initiatives focused on improving managerial consistency, operational execution, and employee development systems. She is currently the Founder & Lead Architect of Clarity Works Partners, where she specializes in translating leadership theory into structured, repeatable systems that organizations can implement at scale.
After a layoff two years ago while simultaneously caring for her mother, she founded ClarityWorks Partners and developed the Manager Performance Architecture™ (MPA™), a governance-based operating system for leadership performance. The MPA™ framework is designed to address a core gap in many organizations: the absence of clear, enforced standards for what consistent management looks like in practice. Rather than relying on traditional training alone, the system works in partnership with HR and executive leadership to define measurable management standards, install accountability structures, and align leadership behaviors across locations. It is then implemented through structured 12-week manager cohorts, supported by ongoing performance monitoring and an outcomes-based guarantee intended to ensure sustained behavioral adoption and operational stability.
Her work is positioned at the intersection of leadership development and organizational governance, with a focus on establishing consistency as a structural outcome rather than an individual variable. She is currently developing a book and accompanying thought leadership series that formalize this approach as a distinct category within leadership systems design, exploring how governance-based models can reduce operational drift and improve leadership reliability in complex organizations. She holds executive leadership training from Cornell University and a degree in business management from the University of Phoenix, supporting her applied focus on building scalable, measurable, and sustainable leadership frameworks.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Kelly
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
For young women entering the leadership development and organizational consulting field, my advice is to be intentional about your professional growth and never stop investing in your development. Seek employers who are committed to advancing your skills by providing access to conferences, leadership programs, and continuing education opportunities. Take ownership of your career by continuously building capabilities that set you apart, such as public speaking, strategic communication, and executive presence through organizations like Toastmasters. Staying one step ahead through lifelong learning, expanding your expertise, and embracing opportunities to lead will position you for long-term success and increase the impact you can make throughout your career.
02What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values that matter most to me in both my work and personal life are continuous learning, service, integrity, and creating lasting impact. I believe professional growth should never stop, and I am passionate about advocating for organizations to invest in the development of their people through education, leadership training, and opportunities to expand their skills. I also value resilience and lifelong learning, principles that have shaped my own journey from leading large-scale training initiatives to developing a new leadership governance framework. Outside of my professional work, I am committed to giving back through volunteer service with organizations supporting children with autism and families experiencing homelessness. Whether I am mentoring leaders, speaking at conferences, or serving my community, I strive to leave people and organizations stronger than I found them.
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