Longtime Rockridge resident Dr. Kellie A. McElhaney is proudly following in the footsteps of her late father, Harold (Mack) McElhaney, a college football and wrestling star in high school and at Duke University. Although she doesn’t compare her level of athleticism with his, she shares his enthusiasm for sports. She became a cheerleader in high school and college because, “That was the closest I could get to the football field.”
Despite being an eighth-round selection in the NFL draft, her dad chose to attend graduate school instead of playing professionally. Kellie graduated with a B.A. in English and political science from the University of North Carolina, an M.A. in organizational behavior/management from Ohio University, and a Ph.D. in higher education with a business cognate from the University of Michigan, where she taught until recruited by U.C. Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.
They both forged new paths. Harold created Ohio University’s master’s program in sports administration (MSA), the first of its kind globally. It consistently ranked as one of the best in the world—and is still going strong after 60 years.
Kellie is currently the founding director of the Center for Equity, Gender and Leadership at the Haas School of Business, and the author of Just Good Business: The Strategic Guide to Aligning Corporate Responsibility and Brand. She is also the head of a strategic advisory consultancy.
During our interview in the living room of her Rockridge home, Kellie shared that her father was very forward thinking. During his 17-year stint at Ohio University as athletic director, he hired the first Black coach at Allegheny College and the first lesbian associate athletic director.
Most significantly, he was involved in implementing Title IX, the landmark 1972 federal civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. The law applies to public and private schools, school districts, colleges, and universities. “That got me interested,” she said.
Inspired by her father’ actions to begin cracking the glass ceiling for women in sports, Kellie has set out to push the current growing interest in women’s athletics even further. At Cal, she teaches a class on the business of women’s sports and started a Leadership and Personal Brand class with college athletes in mind.
Kellie McElhaney currently serves on the Chancellor’s Committee on the Status of Women and the Gender Equity Committee for Cal Athletics. She is a faculty Fellow for Cal Women’s Basketball and leads workshops for student-athletes on Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL), leadership, and personal brand. She loves being in the stands for “everything Cal,” AND the Valkyries.
“There is a clear intersection in the women’s sports space that is not present with men’s sports. Women’s sports are inherently more purpose-driven and return higher societal impact. Think Lauren Betts (UCLA and now Washington Mystics) and her messaging around her mental health journey, her struggles, and how she got mentally healthier. Males athletes might be a spokesperson for a cause; female athletes are advocates for causes… when women’s sports elevate, societal benefits increase,” says Kellie.
Named one of the “Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business” by the SF Business Times in 2019, and recipient of the Founder and Visionary Award at Haas, Kellie continues to innovate. She recently launched the Leadership Academy for Women’s Sports with a three-day workshop in March.
“There were over 100 applications for 35 spots,” she says. “It’s designed for people who want to enter or advance in the business of women’s sports and to elevate leadership skills so that they return to their career on a faster track with a deeply cohesive network of peers who can support one another towards advancement.”
Pictured on right: Danielle Slaton (2000 Olympic silver medalist), Lindsay Barenz (president of the women’s Oakland Soul and the men’s Oakland Roots soccer teams), panel moderator Fayne Cohen (president of Women in Sports and Events, Bay Area), and Stephanie Martin (president and one of the owners of LOVB-SF).
One of the academy’s recent panel discussions featured three local leaders from the field of women sports: Danielle Slaton, 2000 Olympic silver medalist and part owner of the women-led group bringing professional women’s volleyball to San Francisco in 2027 under League One Volleyball (LOVB-SF); Lindsay Barenz, president of the women’s Oakland Soul and the men’s Oakland Roots soccer teams; and Stephanie Martin, president and an owner of LOVB-SF.
“Kellie’s support of our program is what we need during this unprecedented time in college athletics and women’s basketball, in particular,” said Cal Women’s Basketball Head Coach Charmin A. Smith. “She’s been an advocate for our program and our student-athletes on campus and throughout our community. Our transition to the ACC [Atlantic Coast Conference] requires investment from not only the Athletics Department but from the faculty as well. She serves as a trusted sounding board and someone I can rely on to help navigate challenging times.”
“I first saw Kellie speak at a Women in Construction conference in 2017, and I was immediately struck by her insight, presence, and passion,” said Rockridge neighbor Melissa Berg. “I later had the opportunity to work with Kellie professionally, hiring her as a coach and inviting her to lead workshops at my company [Dome Construction] on diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
Over time, their professional relationship became a friendship, Berg said. When she decided to buy a home, “by a stroke of luck, I bought the house directly across the street from her, which has only deepened my admiration. I’ve particularly come to appreciate her love of sports, a passion rooted in her father’s life. It’s rare for someone you deeply admire to become not just a trusted colleague but also a dear friend and neighbor.”
Her latest creation at Haas is called WISL (pronounced whistle) — a Women's Initiative in Women's Sports, but for Kellie, sports are more than just an academic and intellectual pursuit. She is a season ticket holder for the Valkyries professional women’s basketball team, regularly attends Oakland Roots games, and is in the stands for “everything Cal.”
Kellie raised her two daughters, Isabel, 26, and Juliana, 24, in Rockridge, where both attended Hillcrest K–8 and graduated from Bishop O’Dowd High School. Now an empty nester, she happily shares her home with her partner, Chris, her dog, Poppy, and her cat, Leo. You’re likely to spot Kellie dining with family or neighbors at Belotti’s or ACRE—two of her favorite College Avenue restaurants—or picking up yet another pair of sneakers at Tootsie’s Rockridge.
“My neighbors are the very best,” she said. “We put each other’s garbage out when someone is away. We watch out for each other.”
If you have a Rockridge story that needs telling, please email judyberne@att.net.
