Brian M. Kelly, AIA, NCARB, of Omaha, Nebraska, is a licensed architect and an associate professor of architecture at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). He joined the Nebraska Board of Engineers and Architects as the Board's Education Member in 2018. Currently, he serves as the Board's Vice-Chair. Kelly is a graduate of UNL with a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies and a Master of Architecture. He is also an alumnus of the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design's "Design Thinking Bootcamp" of Standford University.
Previously, Kelly was an assistant professor at California Polytechnic State University and Drury University in Missouri. Kelly also worked in a private practice where he served as a lead designer for several award-winning projects of various types and scales. As a professor, Kelly's research revolves around the areas of design thinking, open-source design, and representational theory with regard to architectural construction and fabrication.
Outside of his professional career and service to the Board, Kelly serves on the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) Education Committee since 2020. He's also served on several UNL College of Architecture committees and on the Board of the Design Alliance of Omaha (daOMA), a non-profit dedicated to public education, discourse, and appreciation of architecture and the design of arts.
In addition to his extensive community, teaching, and professional experience, Kelly's design work has been recognized nationally through various awards programs, and his writing has been published internationally.
Originally from Nebraska, Kelly has traveled extensively, leading several education abroad programs for the UNL College of Architecture.
"Each place offers new insights and enriches the ways I see the role of architecture in the city," Kelly said. "The connection between travel and education is very important, and I love seeing the changes in students as they experience new places internationally."