Dom Kelly is the Co-Founder, President & CEO of New Disabled South, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and New Disabled South Rising, its 501(c)(4) arm. He has been organizing in the South since 2009, committed to building a progressive future for disabled people in his region. He is a celebrated movement leader, social entrepreneur, organizer, speaker, and writer.
Dom is one of a set of triplets born with cerebral palsy and has been a disability advocate since he was four years old. Starting when he was a young teenager, Dom and his brothers played around the world with their rock band A Fragile Tomorrow, touring and collaborating with artists like Indigo Girls, Joan Baez, Toad the Wet Sprocket, The Bangles, Matthew Sweet, K’s Choice and more and releasing 6 records over 15+ years. A Fragile Tomorrow won an Independent Music Award in 2015 and were shortlisted for Grammy nominations twice. Just before retiring from music, Dom released a solo album, Everything Is Just Enough, on MPress Records in 2017. The album features appearances from Emily Saliers of Indigo Girls, Lucy Wainwright Roche, Chris Trapper, and more.
He previously served as a senior advisor and founding staff of Stacey Abrams’ gubernatorial campaign, as well as a lead fundraiser and advisor for her voting rights organization Fair Fight Action. He received a Master of Science in Nonprofit Leadership degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy and Practice where he also received the Excellence in Social Impact award. Additionally, he holds a bachelor’s degree in music production, a master’s degree in journalism, an executive certificate in social impact strategy, and a graduate certificate in interdisciplinary disability studies. Currently, he is completing a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) at The George Washington University.
Dom is a part of the 2025 global cohort of Atlantic Fellows for Health Equity, was chosen as a 2024 Rockwood National Leading From the Inside Out Yearlong Fellow, and was one of ten winners of The J.M. Kaplan Fund’s 2023 Innovation Prize. He was a 2021 New Leaders Council fellow and currently serves as Chair for the board of The Kelsey. His writing has been published in Teen Vogue, The Hill, In These Times, Mondoweiss, Common Defense, and more. He has been featured on NPR, Sky News, Forbes, and TODAY.com, and he has been a featured speaker on stages at SXSW, Netroots Nation, Disability Summer School in Galway, Ireland, and more.
Dom lives in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife Catie and their daughter Mahalia.