James Michael Kelly
February 22, 1933 ~ August 3, 2023
James M. Kelly, an Africa development specialist, passed away peacefully on August 3, 2023 in McLean, VA.
Jim was born in Boston, MA. on February 23, 1933 to John J. Kelly and Lucy R. O’Connor Kelly. He was pre-deceased by his parents; his first wife, Kathleen Williams Kelly who died in 1978; and his siblings, Jackie, Richard, Leo, and Paul. He is survived by his wife of 36 years, Marianne O’Sullivan Kelly, and numerous nephews and nieces.
Jim was a graduate of Boston College and took post-graduate studies at Harvard.
He was accepted in the first group of Peace Corps. volunteers to be assigned overseas by President Kennedy, the legendary Ghana One group.
That experience sparked his enthusiasm for economic development in Africa, and he joined the Agency for International Development (“AID”). He later became Mission Director for AID in Somalia; and subsequently, Director of the Sahel Program; and Director of the Famine Early Warning System. He was a sought-after consultant on African issues after his retirement from AID, including for the United Nations and other clients. He maintained his consulting practice for years, but eventually surrendered to the lure of the golf course.
Jim and his wife, Marianne, were also adventurous travelers in their post- retirement years — traveling to 72 countries on five continents.
May his great soul rest in peace. A memorial Mass will be held at a later date.
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Antonio Gayoso and I are saddened to learn of Jim’s passing. Over our USAID careers we both had the privilege of working with him. We last saw him in the middle of the pandemic and more recently missed seeing him and his wife at Mass. Jim was one of the very first people I got to know when I came to USAID and was just learning how things worked. Many years later when he was posted to the US Mission to the UN in New York, my office backstopped him from USAID headquarters in Washington. He was fun to work with and there was always something to learn from him. His lifelong commitment to the work of economic and social development was an inspiring example to all of us.
With deepest sympathy to Jim’s wife and family,
Joan Dudik-Gayoso