Kelly Kirkpatrick has more than 30 years of experience in the OPWDD and Medicaid field. She obtained dual degrees in psychology and social work from Fredonia State University in 1998 and then received her master’s degree in counseling and education from St. Bonaventure University in 2000.

Her career began back in 1995 working management in residential and day services at Claddagh Commission, Inc. She then went on to oversee administration of IRAs as the Director of Residential in 2000 before making a move to Quality Management and Compliance Director back in 2006, where she expanded the agency’s Quality Management and Compliance programs to meet regulatory compliance requirements. Kelly oversaw policy and auditing tool development in the areas of Quality Management, Compliance, Residential, Day Programs, and Respite.  She is also a certified NYS Justice Center investigator that lead a team of investigators to identify and train staff on abuse and neglect prevention, She’s been a member of the DDAWNY Residential, Quality Management and Corporate Compliance committees for more than 20 years.

Kelly was also an active member of the original National Core Indicator committee in Albany and assisted with the development and implementation of OPWDDs in-person survey tool.