As the Chief of Staff for Hobart Mayor Josh Huddlestun, Kelly Clemens oversees all the logistics behind the scenes.
“I'm really here to assist the mayor and make sure that all of his initiatives get done and get done efficiently,” Clemens said. “I deal with the more internal side of everything.”
Specifically, some of this logistical work focuses on staffing strategy and positioning.
“I deal internally with a lot of our staff issues and help our department heads to get to where they need to be and accomplish their goals,” Clemens said.
Clemens has worked for the city since 2017. She first served as the Environmental Resource Coordinator and then the Parks Director before transitioning to Chief of Staff.
“I loved being the Parks Director, and when we got a new mayor, he asked me to come over to this side and do this,” Clemens said.
Clemens loves a lot of things about her role, particularly the opportunity it brings to help the community. Clemens is originally from Hobart and is currently raising a family of her own in the city, which only adds to her passion for the community. Clemens’ daughter, Kaya, is 16, and her son, Ryder, is 15.
“I like improving our community,” she said. “I was born and raised here, and my kids are here as well. I love seeing people who I grew up with, or their parents or their grandparents who I know, and being able to improve our community from what I had as a child. Hopefully, my kids will stay here and be able to enjoy my work.”
The redesign of Festival Park is one of the biggest initiatives coming out of the mayor’s office at the moment.
“Right now, we are really focused on moving forward with the redesign of Festival Park and our dam downtown. That's really on the forefront, something I work on everyday” Clemens said. “The mayor is also focused on general development. We’ve also hired a new development director and are just moving Hobart forward.”
Clemens loves nature - it’s where you can find her spending much of her time outside of work. She finds it helps to disconnect because she has to be so connected in her role.
“I like to be in nature. I like to get away from people because I deal with them in my job so much,” she laughed. “I really like to hike, and I kayak a lot.”
Clemens is also a foodie.
“I love food; I love to go to a good restaurant,” she said.
For Clemens, Hobart is home, and it’s a community that she has the opportunity to impact through her work directly collaborating with the mayor as part of his team. Hobart offers a lot and Clemens continues to grow it in her professional capacity.