About

Ariana Kelly represents District 16 in the Maryland House of Delegates.

Ariana is a lifelong advocate for Montgomery County. She has a proven track record  in Annapolis and Washington on issues that matter to Montgomery County, including health care, the environment, and education. 

Ariana serves on the Health and Government Operations Committee. She also serves on the Insurance Subcommittee, the Minority Health Disparities Subcommittee, and the Bi-County Agency Committee. 

For a brief description of Ariana's professional experience and supporters, click here.

Ariana’s Lifelong Commitment to Public Service

After graduating from Walter Johnson High School, Ariana attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison. While there, she developed a passion for advocacy on public health and violence prevention issues as a student health advocate. After graduation, Ariana returned to Montgomery County, where she started her career helping connect people with social services at Travelers Aid International. That year, she also married Barak.

The couple moved to New York while Barak attended law school, and Ariana continued building experience in issues that matter to families, including youth empowerment and domestic violence education. In addition to working at Girls Inc, and Legal Momentum, Ariana also volunteered for numerous Democratic political campaigns, and public health nonprofits. After Barak graduated, the couple settled back in Bethesda and welcomed their daughter, Maeve.

Ariana began producing PBS’ To The Contrary, a weekly news program. She covered a wide range of issues including state and federal legislation, business, education, health, and the environment. As a journalist, Ariana learned to evaluate issues from different perspectives, to ask tough questions, and when appropriate, dig deep below the surface. 

Ariana’s next step was to serve as Executive Director at NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland. No longer a journalist committed to being objective, Ariana became a highly-effective advocate for women’s health and access to family planning in Annapolis. She also gained critical experience with relationship building and working in coalitions to achieve legislative and policy goals.

Ariana next joined MomsRising.org as a National Campaign Director. MomsRising is an innovative online advocacy organization that works to build a more family-friendly nation. Through her work at MomsRising, Ariana has honed her skills working on a wide array of policy issues, including environmental health, family economic security, early learning, and more. Highlights include working on the successful Maryland BPA bill (and similar bills in other states), federal reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act, healthcare reform, and the Paycheck Fairness Act.

A lifelong Democrat, Ariana has served on the Board of Directors of the Democratic Women’s PAC of Maryland.

Ariana’s Deep Local Roots

Ariana grew up in Bethesda, and attended Ashburton Elementary, Tilden Intermediate School, and Walter Johnson High School. If you were in Bethesda in the 1990’s, Ariana probably made you a salad at the Everything Yogurt at Montgomery Mall, checked out your videos at Blockbuster, brewed your coffee at Starbucks, or babysat your kids while she saved money for college.

Ariana’s mother, Anne Brannigan-Kelly, a retired special education teacher, grew up in Bethesda on Rosedale Avenue along with her five brothers and sisters, and worked at Gifford’s ice cream. Montgomery County is teeming with Ariana’s aunts, uncles, cousins, and close family friends. Ariana’s grandfather, Frank Brannigan, was a champion for firefighter safety who founded the Montgomery College Fire Science program. Ariana’s grandmother, Maurine Brannigan, is a trailblazer who served as a WAVE in the US Navy during WWII. Ariana’s deep commitment to the Chesapeake Bay is rooted in the summers she spent collecting fossils at her grandparents’ cabin in Scientists Cliffs, MD. Ariana’s father, Richard Kelly, is a retired public servant with the US Department of Agriculture. He and his siblings were raised in nearby Kensington by their parents Doris and Dick. Dick, also a WWII veteran, worked for the IRS. After retirement, he began a second career as a well known full-time volunteer helping the homeless in Montgomery County. Doris is one of the thousands of entrepreneurial women who came to DC to work for the government during the war. You may also know her from her years working in Antique Row in Kensington.

Barak & the Kids

Ariana’s husband Barak is an Israeli-American of Yemeni and Romanian descent. Ariana’s mother-in-law Hanna came to the Unites States as a child with her parents, who survived the Holocaust and escaped Communism in Romania. Ariana’s father-in-law, Mordechai, was among the Yemeni Jews airlifted to Israel in Operation Magic Carpet. Barak was raised in Rishon Ltzion, Israel and Baltimore, MD. Barak graduated from the University of Maryland, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Diamondback, and New York University School of Law. Barak works as an attorney in Washington, DC.

Maeve, age 6, is in first grade at Wood Acres Elementary School. Leo, age 3, attends preschool in Bethesda.