Johnson County Board of County Commissioners Chairman Mike Kelly has joined the advisory board for Accelerator for America, a nonprofit focused on creating economic opportunity by finding, sharing and scaling solutions to local challenges around community development, transit, infrastructure, housing and workforce development.

Kelly is the first county chief elected official to be appointed to AFA's advisory council. He is joined by business, labor, philanthropy, nonprofit and public policy leaders and mayors from across the country.

"We're proud to welcome Chairman Kelly to our network and are excited about what we'll accomplish together," said Mary Ellen Wiederwohl, AFA President and CEO. "His expertise will be instrumental as Accelerator for America continues to identify, implement, and scale solutions to communities' economic and community development, transit and infrastructure, housing and workforce challenges."

AFA is built around the idea that America's local communities have the power to create national change from the ground up. It has supported more than 200 communities, building connections between mayors and other local leaders, providing hands-on technical assistance and capacity building to under-resourced local governments.

Recently, Johnson County and AFA worked together through the Innovative Infrastructure Initiative, known as i3. This initiative brought together 10 communities from across the country to advance transformative infrastructure projects, from fleet electrification to multimodal transit hugs and large-scale mixed-use developments.

Johnson County Government's participation in i3 gave county staff access to advisors who helped inform the planning, data collection and service analysis components of the Johnson County Airport Drop and Ride transit pilot. This pilot launched as part of the expanded public transit network serving residents and visitors throughout FIFA World Cup 2026™ Kansas City.

"In Johnson County, we've made it a priority to increase access to attainable housing, strengthen infrastructure, and bolster economic opportunity for all," said Chairman Kelly. "I'm honored to join local leaders nationwide as the first county chief elected official selected for the Accelerator for America Advisory Council, giving me the opportunity to collaborate on tangible, scalable strategies that expand opportunity in communities across the country."