Gwendolyn Kelly was born on May 22nd, 1946, in Warrenton, Virginia, at Warrenton Hospital. Named Gwendolyn Marie Rowe at birth, she is the eldest of three children. Ms. Kelly and her siblings stayed with their grandparents in Warrenton, as her mother, Ella, came to Washington, D.C., for work during the week. After her grandfather passed away, her grandmother could not support the family financially and Ms. Kelly and her siblings came to Washington to live with their mother. Ms. Kelly attended George Washington Carver Elementary School in Deanwood (now IDEA Public Charter School) and graduated from McKinley High School in 1964. After high school, she enrolled at Howard University. Ms. Kelly married her husband, George Kelly, in April of 1969, when she was 24 years old. After their marriage, Ms. Kelly left college for a time and gave birth to her only child in December of 1970. After establishing her family, Ms. Kelly decided to continue her education and graduated from Howard University. Later she would take a position at the University of Southern California’s Public Affairs program in D.C.. While working there, she would obtain a Master’s in Public Administration from USC. Ms. Kelly has taught at the University of the District of Columbia (UD.C.), Southeastern University, and is currently an Adjunct Professor at Prince George's County Community College and the University of Maryland Global Campus. Ms. Kelly enjoys collecting silver spoons and Depression glass, spending time with her loved ones, and reading. Her favorite movie is The Godfather, and her favorite author is Toni Morrison. She loves all types of music and grew up listening to a lot of Gospel, Country, Jazz, and Rock and Roll music.