Kelly Witter

Kelly is an Environmental Engineer and Director of EPA's Community Engagement & STEM Education Program (CE-STEM) in Research Triangle Park (RTP), N.C. Kelly initiated CE-STEM in 2004 to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in K-12 and university settings by leveraging employee participation to provide students – especially those from low-income schools, underserved communities, and marginalized groups – with direct STEM exposure, knowledge, and career awareness. Through the participation of 150-250 EPA employees who annually share their time, expertise, and enthusiasm, CE-STEM communicates EPA science to students, educators, and the public with the goal of increasing public understanding on how protecting the environment protects human health. CE-STEM is supported by EPA’s Office of Research and Development’s (ORD) Center for Environmental Measurement & Modeling, and volunteers come from most all EPA offices.

Kelly enjoys interacting directly with students, educators, and our community partners to promote student success, help reduce the opportunity gaps in science fields, empower underserved populations to strive to pursue careers in STEM, and advance environmental justice through increased awareness and knowledge. Kelly’s favorite work week of the year is hosting EPA’s Summer Science Institute which has reached more than 350 students since 2011 and received the 2023 Talent Development Award. Kelly is grateful for the opportunity to work with so many amazing scientists, engineers, and support staff on the EPA-RTP campus and have a front row seat to learn about the important role they each serve in protecting human health and the environment.  Kelly continually seeks new opportunities for CE-STEM and, in 2024, worked with EPA-RTP colleagues to host We Birthed The Movement, an exhibit that showcases how Warren County, N.C. became the birthplace of the EJ movement. More than 170 students and 40 educators/community partners visited the exhibit during its five months on the RTP campus.

Kelly began her EPA career in 1987 studying indoor air quality and researching strategies to reduce radon levels in schools. During her career, she has also served in collateral roles as the EPA-RTP Federal Woman's Program Manager, Vice Chair for the National EPA Federal Women's Program, Chair of EPA-RTP Women in Science & Engineering, and as an EEO Counselor. She has a B.S. in Geology and Math, M.S. in Civil & Environmental Engineering, and M.B.A., all from Duke University. She is an N.C. Certified Environmental Educator, a Leadership Triangle Goodmon Fellow, and the proud mom of three adult kids. In 2019, Kelly served as an Embassy Science Fellow in Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina where she enjoyed doing STEM outreach with students, educators, and NGOs. She is originally from Buffalo, N.Y. and began her career a Field Engineer in the Colorado mountains testing soils and concrete on construction sites.

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