CohnReznick hires Brittany Kelly; Strengthens National Emergency Management capabilities

New York, NY – October 1, 2020 – CohnReznick LLP, one of the leading advisory, assurance, and tax firms in the United States, today announced that Brittany Kelly has joined the firm. Kelly joins CohnReznick as the firm continues to expand its emergency management services to help government agencies prepare for and respond to major disasters across the country. 

For the past 3 ½ years, Kelly served as Public Assistance Program Manager/ State Public Assistance Officer for the South Carolina Emergency Management Division. While there, she coordinated federally funded disaster recovery projects throughout South Carolina with responsibilities ranging from program implementation and management to closeout. Most recently, Kelly was involved in the implementation of the COVID-19 major disaster declaration, DR-4492, working with other state agencies to maximize resources related to the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) in South Carolina. 

Kelly’s emergency management experience includes Hurricanes Matthew (2016), Irma (2017), Florence (2018), and Dorian (2019), the 2015 Thousand Year Flood, and the 2016 Pinnacle Mountain Fire. She has worked directly with FEMA on a range of projects including the rollout of a new grants program in 2017 during Hurricane Irma, implementing a "validate as you go" (VAYGO) process to assist South Carolina in providing critical information to FEMA on paid projects, and coordinating with a FEMA Consolidated Resource Center on funding eligibility issues at the state and local level. 

“As the country continues to grapple with so many types of disasters, improving emergency management procedures at the federal, state, and local levels has become increasingly urgent,” said Frank Banda, CohnReznick’s Managing Partner – Government and Public Sector Advisory. “I am delighted to bring someone of Brittany Kelly’s caliber to our team and look forward to the contributions she will make in helping our clients maximize the effectiveness of their disaster preparedness, mitigation, and recovery efforts.”

In addition to her work with the State of South Carolina, Kelly has also served as a program manager for Hearts & Hands Disaster Recovery, a social services coordinator for the U.S. Army’s Warrior Transition Battalion – Europe, and a field office coordinator for the American Red Cross at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Neumann University and a master’s degree from the University of Oklahoma.