As head of real estate securities, Kelly directs the domestic and global real estate investment trust (REIT) activity for Principal Real Estate Investors, the dedicated real estate unit of Principal Global Investors. He has experience in both separate account and pooled fund management and has been managing real estate stock portfolios since 1997.

Previously, Kelly participated in structuring commercial mortgage loans for public real estate companies and the analysis of real estate investment trust issued bonds. He has been with the real estate investment area of the firm since 1987.

Kelly received an MBA in business administration and a bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Iowa. He has earned the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is a member of both the Iowa Society of Financial Analysts and the CFA Institute.

Kelly’s prior speaking engagements include the Institutional Investor Endowments & Foundations Roundtable, the NAREIT Institutional Investor Forum, the National Conference of Public Employee Retirement Systems (NCPERS), and the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) Law Conference.