A past Chair of the Scottish Consumer Council and the Millennium Forest for Scotland Trust, a past Main Board Member of Scottish Natural Heritage and of Scottish Enterprise, Kelly worked for the interests of rural Scotland, founding, to that end, Rural Forum and the Southern Uplands Partnership. She was a member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh's Foot and Mouth Inquiry in 2002. She is a member of the Rural Development Council and is president and Chair of the Galloway National Park Association. She was Equal Opportunities Commissioner for Scotland.