Dr. Kelly Gehlhoff / Program Manager of the IFIZ

Dr. Kelly Gehlhoff is a loving wife and mother of four young children. She moved to Pueblo, CO in 2004 after finishing her bachelor’s degree in Human Ecology at University of Redlands in Southern California. Since then she earned a masters’ degree in Adult/Post-Secondary Education and taught at two colleges simultaneously. In 2011, she began the quest for a Doctorate of Management in Environmental and Social Sustainability from her employer, Colorado Technical University. Over the course of this academic journey to becoming a consultant in the field of Organizational Development and Change, Dr. Kelly prepared herself for a career as a global leader in controlled-environment agriculture (CEA). Her dissertation research was on urban farming, small businesses and “sustainability”-based thinking as the core of organizational strategy. She graduated from CTU in 2015. Dr. Gehlhoff joined the leadership team at The I WILL Projects in November 2016 and is heading up the new program called IFIZ (Indoor-Farming Innovation Zone). Locally, Dr. Kelly is involved in promoting community/school garden efforts and one of her top priorities is localizing the food system. She believes technology will change the way farming is viewed by new generations and every community should be making efforts to feed themselves as naturally as possible.