Director of Saints’ Center for Service named “40 Under 40” Honoree

Kelly Dalton, the founding Director of the Saints’ Center for Service at Marymount University, was selected by Leadership Center for Excellence as one of its “40 Under 40” Honorees for 2019. She received the program’s award at the organization’s sixth annual Honoree Luncheon at the Army Navy Country Club last Friday in Arlington.
 
Founded in 1998, Leadership Center for Excellence is the greater Washington region’s trusted nonprofit resource for leadership development and civic engagement. This awards program honors 40 young individuals every year who are making an impact in the area through dynamic leadership and community building.
 
Dalton has led the Saints’ Center for Service at Marymount since its inception in the fall of 2018. She acts as the campus leader in advancing the vision of the Center, which is to offer and support increased opportunities for students, faculty and staff to work together on service projects both inside and outside of the classroom. Starting this current academic year, Dalton introduced “SaintsServe Saturdays” and organized various service opportunities with community partners in order to easily connect Marymount students with accessible service programming in the local area.
 
“I am deeply honored to be recognized by the Leadership Center for Excellence as a 2019 ‘40 Under 40’ Honoree,” Dalton said. “I would like to congratulate the other honorees for their hard work and continued dedication to improving their communities. Thank you to Marymount University for supporting me and empowering our next generation of leaders to pursue paths in service to others.”
 
Prior to her role at Marymount, Dalton served as Director of George Mason University’s Nonprofit Fellow Program, Assistant Director of the Center for Social Action and Integrative Learning and Assistant Professor in the School of Integrative Studies. Holding a doctorate in education, her research explores intercultural education, community-engaged learning and leadership, and spans across locations in the U.S., Pakistan and Guatemala.
 
In 2015, Dalton was a recipient of the Shinnyo-en Peacebuilding Fellowship and continues to serve as a delegate for the U.S.-Pakistan Interreligious Consortium, a program that utilizes international education as a tool for combatting dehumanization and providing alternatives to extremist narratives.
 
Before starting her doctoral program, she served at the University of the District of Columbia as an Extension Specialist. While there, she developed and implemented nutrition curricula for at-risk youth and early childhood classrooms. She also worked as an adjunct professor at the Malek School for Health Professions at Marymount and at George Mason.
 
A registered dietician, Dalton is also the owner and CEO of Capital Wellness Solutions, and was awarded the Virginia Dietetic Association’s Youth Dietician of the Year Award in 2012.