Kelly Campbell

Kelly (she/her) brings more than 25 years of experience in environmental health and social justice to her role as policy director, where she works with the team to develop policy strategies and advocate at the local, state, and federal levels. Before joining Columbia Riverkeeper, Kelly served as the executive director at Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) for more than 13 years. She is a recipient of the 2019 Visionary Leaders Award from National PSR, which recognized her leadership to transform the organization to be firmly grounded in the values of equity and justice. Kelly was a founding co-director of September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, an organization that has been nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize. She currently co-chairs the organization’s Afghanistan committee and serves on the advisory boards of Unfreeze Afghanistan and Oregon PSR.

What inspires you to do this work?

Growing up in the Midwest, I lived in a city where you could not ever swim in or eat fish from the river that ran through it. I went to college in a town that issued annual warnings that pregnant people and children should not drink the tap water that was sourced from the local river. Since I moved to the Pacific Northwest, I have been grateful to be able to interact more directly with the region’s rivers, especially the awe-inspiring Columbia. Being part of protecting and restoring this incredible river and all living beings that depend on it is a huge honor.