Center Staff

Alexia Kelley – Director

Alexia Kelley serves as Director of the Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships at the US Department of Health and Human Services. In this capacity, she coordinates the work of HHS to support and form partnerships between faith-based and community organizations and the federal government in order to more effectively serve Americans in need. She just returned to HHS after a year-long assignment to the White House, where she served as Deputy Director and Senior Policy Advisor for the White House Office for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Working with the White House Faith-based Office and the First Lady’s Office, Alexia helped to launch Let’s Move Faith and Communities, the First Lady’s special effort to engage faith and community groups as part of Let’s Move!

Alexia has served for over 20 years in faith-based and secular non-profit organizations dedicated to poverty reduction, social and economic justice, and the environment. Most recently, she was founding Director of Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, and she started her career at the Friends Committee on National Legislation, the oldest ecumenical advocacy organization in Washington, D.C. She also served for 10 years at the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, the Catholic community’s national anti-poverty initiative. Kelley is co-author of two books on Catholic social justice teachings and American civic life. She has a B.A. in Religion from Haverford College and a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School.

Acacia Bamberg Salatti – Deputy Director

Acacia Salatti joined the Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships as the deputy director in September 2009. Acacia comes to this position from the office of House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn, where she was lead staffer for the House Democratic Faith Working Group. In addition, she handled the congressman's education, agriculture, and environmental portfolio. Acacia holds a master's in divinity and a certificate in black church studies from Candler School of Theology at Emory University. She is also a former adjunct professor of religion at Columbia College, her alma mater.

Additional Staff

Lisa M. Carr, MSW – Associate Director

Heidi Christensen – Associate Director

Sylvia Griffin – Assistant to the Director

Kimberly T. Konkel, MSW – Associate Director for Health

Ben O'Dell – Associate Director

Ari Schoenholtz – Program Analyst