Meet the Team

Kelly Downes (she/her/hers) serves as Bentley University’s inaugural Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity and Institutional Equity, joining the institution in September 2022.  Kelly also serves as the institution’s Title IX Coordinator.  Kelly brings over 25 years of combined experience in law and higher education to this role, having previously served as a criminal prosecutor, defense attorney, and in various leadership roles in Massachusetts state government. Prior to coming to Bentley, Kelly served as the Chief Equity Officer and Title IX Coordinator at Berklee College of Music.  In her current role, Kelly leads the institution’s efforts to address identity-based discrimination and harassment, as well as sexual and gender-based misconduct, providing students, staff, and faculty with access to resources and support, formal and informal reporting options, and educational programming.  Kelly earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Boston University and her law degree from Washington College of Law, American University.