NBC 5 and Telemundo 39 are celebrating Women’s History Month with HerStory.
Mary Ann Kellam is President and CEO of the Irving Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (IHCC). Under her leadership, the IHCC has added several business seminars, Leadership seminars, as well as on-going training for small start-up businesses and existing businesses needing specific assistance or certification as minority-owned businesses. Kellam has led the chamber to such success that it’s being recognized as one of the most involved Hispanic chambers in the DFW area and their members come from all over the Metroplex. TAMACC has awarded the chamber with 3 back-to-back Medium Sized Chamber of the Year awards. They have received 2 grants from the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce for the success of their Power Hours and the new Spanish Entrepreneurship workshops, La Hora de Poder. In 2021, the IHCC was selected as the 2021 United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Chamber of the Year.
During the pandemic, Kellam led the IHCC through virtual seminars and networking events. They pivoted to working remotely and while they could not get out and meet with prospects, they were able to recruit 41 new members into the chamber. She and her staff took a strong lead in assisting small businesses through the application process for grants and were able to help many businesses receive grants. The United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, along with a meat producer selected the IHCC among 1 of 6 cities in the US to receive $15,000 in grants to award to small businesses.
The office of The Governor also selected the IHCC to be coordinators of the Binax Now COVID-19 rapid test kits for small businesses. They issued nearly 4,000 test kits to small businesses.
Get DFW local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC DFW newsletters.
Mary Ann Kellam was in the financial services industry for 13 years, prior to joining the chamber. She has been active in leadership positions in the Dallas and Coppell, TX communities. She is State Past-Chair of the Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas (HWNT), as well as past chair of the Dallas chapter. She has held numerous additional positions within HWNT including State Rep for the Dallas chapter and State Secretary. At the local chapter, she has served as a committee member and mentor of the HWNT education program, Latinas in Progress and chaired 2 large Black & White galas. Mary Ann helped start the new chapter of MANA de North Texas, a national Latina organization and took the role of secretary. She has been a mentor at the Irma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School in Dallas and David Singley Academy in Irving. In 2009, she was selected as a member of Hispanic 100, in Dallas, where she has held several leadership roles and is still very involved.
She has provided seminars to the victims of domestic violence at Dallas women’s shelters. She has also been involved with Girls, Inc.; The Dallas County Children’s Advocacy Center; Assistance League of Dallas; Wednesday’s Child Benefit Corporation and volunteered at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, for several years.
Help us honor our Unstoppable Women.
