Kelly White Member Spotlight

Do you find there aren’t enough hours in the day to accomplish all the goals for your mission-driven organization? Do you wish there was someone who could help you do more with less? Kelly White, CEO of Illume Projects, is your go-to resource.

Kelly has been supporting nonprofits and mission-driven organizations in upstate New York for more than 10 years, and she shows no signs of stopping. She is a professional consultant who takes a thoughtful, systematic and strategic approach to helping local organizations tackle a variety of complex projects and navigate change.

Thanks to her project management background, she specializes in helping Nonprofit Executive Directors establish and implement strategic priorities with a realistic plan and timeline for achieving their goals. She will even act as a project manager or interim executive director if needed. In a nutshell, Kelly White and her team of consultants bring strategic plans to life, making sure they don’t just gather dust on the shelf. Their ability and willingness to learn all there is to know about an organization’s needs is one of the many skills and characteristics that makes Kelly and the Illume Projects team truly unique.

Kelly’s career started in the for-profit world running operations before shifting to project management. After the birth of her daughter, Kelly realized that she was in a different place mentally and wanted to do more to help effect real change. So what did she do? Kelly decided to volunteer her skills in the nonprofit world in the SF Bay area, which was her home at the time. That experience gave her a lifeline, and she learned much about the needs and happenings in her community.

Both she and her husband realized that they wanted to move back to New York, so with a 10-month-old in tow, they moved to Tompkins County. Kelly had no ties here, but that didn’t stop her from launching Illume Projects, her independent, woman-owned consulting practice. As Kelly enters her second decade running a successful business, I requested a quote or philosophy that guided her business, and she said, in the words of fellow local entrepreneur Ariana Blossom, “Start before you’re ready.”

Kelly has been a real blessing to the Business Leaders of Colors network. She recognizes the challenges women face as entrepreneurs, so in honor her 10th business anniversary, Kelly generously donated BLOC memberships for 10 women in the network. What an amazing way to honor not only her own work but also the work of other women. Kelly is truly one of a kind, and we are honored to have her in the Business Leaders of Colors family.

Thank you Kelly White!