Kelli Bernard is a seasoned public affairs executive with over 20 years of experience in economic development, land use planning, infrastructure investment, and stakeholder engagement. As Managing Partner of Lighthouse Public Affairs’ Los Angeles office, Kelli launched and leads the firm’s Southern California practice. She provides strategic counsel, political advocacy, procurement consulting, and community engagement support to a diverse portfolio of clients, including real estate developers, infrastructure firms, financial institutions, technology companies, nonprofit organizations, and arts and cultural institutions.
Prior to joining Lighthouse, Kelli served as Executive Vice President at AECOM, the world’s largest infrastructure firm, where she led the firm’s global Cities Initiative. She also served as Chief Executive of AECOM’s Los Angeles Metro+ region, overseeing strategy and client relationships across Southern California, Hawaii, and Guam. Before AECOM, Kelli was Deputy Mayor of Economic Development for Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. In that role, she served as the city’s top economic advisor, advancing major initiatives at the Port of Los Angeles, Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), and across the city’s $6 billion economic portfolio. She led Garcetti’s Asia Trade Mission and delivered a keynote at the 2015 Kaohsiung International Harbor Cities Conference.
Kelli is deeply committed to civic leadership and community impact. She serves as Vice Chair of the Board at Homeboy Industries, a Trustee for The Archer School for Girls, and is the former Chair of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), where she also co-chaired its Ad-Hoc Committee on Black People Experiencing Homelessness. Kelli is also an Independent Director at OSI Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: OSIS), a global provider of electronic systems for homeland security, healthcare, and defense.
She holds a Master’s degree in Urban Planning from UCLA and a BA in Sociology from UC Berkeley.
Past/Present Clients Paradies Lagardere, Carnival Corporation, Royal Caribbean, Suffolk Construction, STV Inc., Center Theater Group, Cypress Equities Investment, Colburn Music School, MSC Cruises
