Matthew Kelly ’13: A Fresh Start and a Path Forward
Matthew Kelly has always been someone who shows up for others. As a student at Corning Community College, he served as the student representative on the Board of Trustees. As a professional, he built help desk and training programs that supported users across the country. As a father, he and his wife created an entire community around their family’s experience raising a son with autism. That instinct for service — quiet, consistent, and far-reaching — has shaped every chapter of his life.
His path to CCC was born out of necessity. When a call center in Penn Yan closed, Kelly found himself at a crossroads. Rather than simply move on, he petitioned for Trade Act benefits on behalf of his colleagues who had lost their jobs, then used those same funds to pursue an entirely new career in technology. He enrolled at Corning Community College and earned two associate degrees: one in Computer Information Sciences and one in Liberal Arts/Humanities and Social Sciences. He discovered an environment that rewarded curiosity and engagement as much as coursework, and his time on the Board of Trustees, in particular, left a lasting mark. As Kelly reflects, “Serving the student body as their voice on the Board of Trustees taught me how to look beyond myself and focus on the needs of those who depended on me most.”
Shortly after graduation in 2013, Kelly was hired into the IT department of a local manufacturing company. Over the following years, he steadily built his expertise, and by 2019, he had found his true calling in Project Management. In 2024, he formalized that expertise with a Project Management certification from Cornell University, and today he serves as an IT Project Manager for Guthrie.
Kelly is quick to draw a direct line between his time at CCC and where he stands today. While the technical foundation gave him entry into a brand-new industry, he considers the leadership experience in student government equally formative for navigating the professional world. “I would not be as successful as I am today without the education I received and the connections I made at CCC,” he says.
His advice to prospective students reflects both his non-traditional path and his genuine affection for the institution. For Kelly, CCC’s greatest strength is its size, noting that “you don’t get lost in the crowd the way you might at a larger university.” He values the personal connections he found on campus, adding, “I could always count on my advisor to have time for me when I needed it. Starting small can sometimes make a huge difference in jumpstarting one’s collegiate career.”
Beyond his professional life, Kelly is a husband and father of two boys. One of his sons has been diagnosed with autism, an experience that moved him and his wife to create “Letters from the Spectrum”. This blog allows the family to share their journey and foster a support network for parents and caregivers in Schuyler County. Kelly’s community involvement continues to grow; in 2021, he joined the Lake Country Players and was elected their Treasurer the following year—yet another reminder that his instinct for stepping up and serving has never left him.
Whether he is navigating complex IT infrastructures or fostering local support networks, Matthew Kelly remains defined by his commitment to others. His journey is a testament to the transformative power of a Corning Community College education. By combining technical proficiency with the leadership skills he first honed in student government, Kelly has built a life that balances professional excellence with deep community roots. For Matthew, the path that began with a courageous decision to pursue a new career has led to a legacy of quiet, consistent service.
