KIELY SMITH

STATE ADVOCACY MANAGER

As State Advocacy Manager, Kiely Smith oversees Project Coyote’s state policy and advocacy campaigns. She is a project, campaign, and people manager dedicated to implementing evidence-based, high-impact strategies to improve the lives of all living on our planet. Kiely is from California and currently lives in New York, NY.

Kiely is an expert in empowering people to take action for animals and the environment by inspiring advocates and executing effective campaigns. At New Roots Institute, she drove the growth of the New Roots Leadership Development program. Over five years, Kiely trained and led a community of over 500 fellows and managed 45 partnerships with esteemed organizations such as Mercy For Animals, The Humane League, UC Berkeley, and Harvard University. She mentored hundreds of fellows to lead campaigns lobbying their institutions, including local and state governments, universities, schools, and corporations, to move toward animal-friendly food policies. She has delivered over 400 presentations about the impacts and solutions to factory farming across corporate boardrooms, government offices, university classrooms, and high school auditoriums, totaling audiences of over 13,000 people.

Kiely earned an MA in Animal Studies at New York University, where she led significant lobbying efforts to move NYU toward animal- and climate-friendly food policies. She also currently supports work to advance insect protection for the Society for the Protection of Insects.

Kiely also holds a degree in Cognitive Science from UC Berkeley. In her free time, you will catch Kiely dogspotting in Central Park with her dog/best friend, Nova.