Meet Julie Kelly – IBA’s Board of Directors

Meet Julie Kelly, one of the newest members of the IBA Board of Directors. 

As the Vice President of Proprietary Brands for bluemercury, Julie is responsible for conceiving, developing, marketing, and launching new products for retailer bluemercury’s proprietary, owned brands. That full life-cycle involvement excites her, and she is grateful to share her skills and expertise with company founders, those with the vision, audacity, and resources to launch their product lines. She has always worked in consumer-packaged goods marketing, product development, and sales – previously working for Honest, Mars Incorporated, Burt’s Bees, and bluemercury.

Julie earned an undergraduate degree in Marketing with a minor in Communications and International Business from Virginia Tech;

and an MBA from Rutgers University. Yet she attributes her success to learning about the full life cycle of product development and understanding the needs of internal teams so she can deliver products that meet external customer needs and wants. For the newcomer to the industry, Julie recommends learning about all roles and responsibilities within an organization to understand how your project or program will roll out as it progresses cross-functionally. While it is critical to have a depth of knowledge and expertise in your specific function, having a breadth of understanding and appreciation for all that goes into making a product cross-functionally fosters success. 

“Having worked with Julie at Honest, I know how enthusiastic and skilled she is. I look forward to working with her again and am thrilled we have another active, engaged Director on the IBA Board to help us carry out the IBA Mission,” said IBA President Don Frey.

Julie and her husband Ryan split time between Arlington, Virginia, and St. Michaels, Maryland, with their toddler, April, and Portuguese water dog, Oliver.

Join us in welcoming Julie to the IBA Board of Directors.