Anne and Greg Kelly

"Education has always been a top priority for our family. Anne and I are so grateful for the incredible impact the Pace Academy education has made in the lives of our children," says Pace Life Trustee GREG KELLY. Greg and his wife, ANNE KELLY , have four children who are all Pace alumni: GRANT KELLY '12, HANNAH KELLY '15, MORGAN KELLY '16 and TYLER KELLY '20. Greg served as a member of Pace's Board of Trustees for nine years, including three as chair, and was named as a Life Trustee in 2020.

Anne and Greg's gratitude for their children's Pace experiences inspired them to arrange a planned gift for the school in 2018, when their youngest, Tyler, was still in the Upper School. As a result of their gift, the Kellys are members of The Castle Circle, which recognizes Pace's planned gift donors.

"Our feelings about Pace and desire to help ensure its strong future inspired us to include a bequest for Pace as we were updating our will," Greg says. "Pace was such a gift for our family. We are delighted to give back."

Anne recalls choosing Pace for their children. "We were seeking a top-tier school that would nurture each one," she says. "Even when they were small, we knew how very different each was, and we knew Pace was the school that would offer each an individualized experience and an excellent education. We are grateful to this day for the Pace faculty, who did a wonderful job, varying their teaching styles and approaches to fit the needs of each child."

The Kellys arrived at Pace in 2002, when Hannah enrolled in Pre-First. Morgan and Tyler followed in Hannah's footsteps and joined Pace in their respective Pre-First years. In 2004, Grant joined the Pace community as a fifth-grader after addressing his dyslexia at the Atlanta Speech School.

"All of our children thrived at Pace, and it prepared them well for not just college but life beyond too," Greg says. "Grant and Hannah both attended Duke University. After arguing about Apple versus Microsoft with classmates SIMON WU '12 and JOHN CAROLIN '12, Grant fittingly now works for Apple. Hannah finished divinity school at Emory University this year and was just ordained in the Episcopal Church. Morgan graduated from University of Southern California and is working for marketing agency Times10 in LA. Tyler also chose to become a Duke Blue Devil and is a junior."

Greg's years of service on the Board, from 2011-2020, provided him opportunities to engage in the work of the school. Anne was also an active volunteer over the 18 years their children were enrolled. She helped in the Lower School front office and with the fine arts program, worked at the snack bar, and assisted with the Fall Fair-and always made time to lend a hand wherever one was needed.

"The Kelly family-Anne, Greg and each one of their children-has contributed in countless ways to the tapestry of our community," Head of School FRED ASSAF says. "During his tenure on the Board, Greg's professional expertise as a senior partner at McKinsey & Company was invaluable, and as the son and grandson of educators, he brought to the table a multifaceted understanding of schools that formed his unique and valuable perspectives. We are grateful that Anne and Greg have chosen a planned gift as a way of showing Pace their appreciation and vision for its future success," he adds.