Kelly Nantel is a globally recognized strategist and thought leader with more than 30 years of experience in executive communications, policymaking and crisis planning and response. Named Vice President of Communications & Advocacy at the National Safety Council in 2015, Ms. Nantel works to improve safety on the road, in workplaces and at home.
She has raised the organization’s profile through development of award-winning public education campaigns addressing the opioid epidemic, automotive safety technology and the self-driving vehicle revolution. Under her leadership, NSC has benchmarked employer data on opioids in the workplace, published dozens of white papers and reports on safety and tackled cutting edge issues like death and injury related to fatigue.
Prior to joining NSC, Ms. Nantel served as the Director of Public Affairs at the National Transportation Safety Board, where she improved the NTSB’s visibility and reputation through targeted communications programs, innovative use of social media and strategic message development.
At NTSB, Ms. Nantel coordinated crisis communications for dozens of major transportation investigations, from airline crashes and train derailments to pipeline explosions and maritime accidents. A few examples include the crash of Virgin Galactic’s Spaceship II, Asiana Airlines Flight 214 and the derailment of Amtrak 188 in Philadelphia.
Previously, Ms. Nantel led a large team at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and served as the agency’s chief spokesperson on major national security investigations, cases involving human & drug trafficking and money laundering and immigration enforcement. She began her career at the Massachusetts Department of Correction and served as communications director for the secretary of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety.
Ms. Nantel has a Bachelor of Science degree from Curry College and speaks regularly about safety issues, reputation management and crisis communications.
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