Kelly Boles Chapman
Class Year: 2014
County: Barry
Title: Senior Consultant, Battle Creek Community Foundation
Bio:4-H has played a monumental role in my life the values learned and experienced in 4-H are completely engrained in who I am. 4-H introduces character traits by stealth – responsibility, leadership, communication skills learned through such experiences as caring for livestock, strategizing with a group of fellow teenagers to accomplish a goal, or presenting a vision for a project. Many of those same skills I still use every day.
Chapman serves as Senior Vice President for Community Leadership at the Battle Creek Community Foundation. She previously held positions as the Michigan State University 4-H youth equine extension specialist, a county Extension agent for The Ohio State University, information officer for the Virginia Tech Department of Agricultural Economics and as a district manager for Purina Mills. She received her bachelor’s in Agriculture and Natural Resources Communications from MSU and her masters from Virginia Tech with a focus on youth equine and livestock educational development. In addition to her nonprofit work, Chapman and her husband own a commercial and purebred cattle operation and raise and train horses. Chapman is an approved horse judge with the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA), National Snaffle Bit Association, (NSBA), the American Paint Horse Association (APHA), the Palomino Horse Breeders Association (PHBA), and the Appaloosa Horse Club (ApHC). Chapman serves as chair of the Board of Directors for the Cheff Therapeutic Riding Center, a Michigan Youth Livestock Scholarship Fund member, an American Quarter Horse Association national director, and Pennfield Schools Educational Foundation trustee. Previously, she served as treasurer and trustee for the Southwest Regional Rehabilitation Center and campaign cabinet member for the United Way of Greater Battle Creek.