November 04, 2019
Shannon Kelly ’12 digs new roots in family’s thoroughbred racing tradition
By Nick Wesman ’20G
When Shannon Kelly ’12 was a child, her grandfather used to tell her, “You’re going to run this thing.”
At the time, she really didn’t know what he meant. Considering her grandfather was a National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame horse trainer Tommy “T.J.” Kelly, she assumed the statement had something to do with thoroughbred racing.
Kelly’s family tree is full of people who made thoroughbred horse racing their life’s work. Aside from her grandfather, Kelly’s father and two uncles also trained horses. Her father now serves as clerk of scales for the New York Racing Association.
As a result, she grew up at the track, in the barns, around horses. Summers in high school were spent leading tours at the historic Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
And though she didn’t follow the family’s path into training, she’s continued the Kelly industry tradition and is, in fact, “running things.”
This fall, Kelly was promoted from development manager to executive director of The Jockey Club Safety Net Foundation in New York City. The foundation is a charitable arm of The Jockey Club, the breed registry for North American Thoroughbreds, and provides financial assistance to members of the thoroughbred industry and their families. Her boss at The Jockey Club is James L. Gagliano ’87, who serves as the organization’s president and chief operating officer.
Though one might readily think of the dangers associated with riding racehorses, Kelly said the Safety Net Foundation assists anyone in need who works in the industry.
“It’s all a very physical job, even when you’re not on a horse,” said Kelly, who lives in New York City. “Obviously, for the jockeys and exercise riders, you have 1,000-pound animals moving very fast. But you also have the people who care for the horses. You’re there wrapping bandages on horses’ legs, or carrying feed and water buckets that are quite heavy, or mucking out stalls.”
Life around horses also can be emotionally draining, said Gagliano. “It’s labor intensive and regularly includes long hours in all weather conditions,” he said.
“It’s long hours, it’s early mornings, you shift to other racetracks a lot. It’s very nomadic; it’s hard to plant roots in places,” Kelly added.
As executive director, Kelly’s fingerprints are all over Safety Net’s operations. She collects and personally reviews every application for assistance the foundation receives. She is also responsible for the foundation’s budgeting, receipting, and distribution of assistance.
The foundation grants about $500,000 annually to members of the racing community.
“Sometimes they’re a one-time grant to assist with a medical expense,” said Kelly. “We also have people on a monthly assistance program that assists recipients with a certain basic living expense, whether it’s for rent, co-pays, an electric bill.”
And that’s really where the foundation sets itself apart from other industry assistance programs. Not only does it serve individuals who have suffered debilitating permanent injuries; much of its assistance helps industry professionals who suffer shorter-term illnesses or injuries from which they can return from work, but simply need some help to bridge the gap.
“We do have people who are permanently disabled, but someone can come down with a horrible case of the flu and they’re out for two months. They’re out for a short period of time, but how are they going to put food on the table? That’s probably the biggest form of assistance we provide,” Kelly said.
Her background in the racing world makes Kelly acutely tuned to the needs that may arise, according to Gagliano.
“Shannon grew up around the track and from that she understands the people of the racetrack in a unique way,” he said.
Additionally, Kelly is responsible for the fundraising events that provide the foundation with its operating budget. That includes everything from picking the theme and selecting honorees for the events to vendor contracting, event logistics, and even designing the invitations. She is also active in fundraising efforts for the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, which provides grants for equine research.
For her part, Kelly couldn’t imagine a better place to be than the Safety Net Foundation.
“The mission contains so many things I’m passionate about. My grandfather, my dad, and my uncles always cared about their employees,” she said.
“The employees were like family because, in all reality, the success of my family would not have been if they did not have the people who worked night and day with the horses,” she said. “This job is rewarding in the sense that I get to help the people that gave my family so much success and joy.”
Though her familial connection to horseracing runs deep, Kelly didn’t originally expect to follow her kin into the racing industry.
She came to PC thinking she would create her own path, one far away from the barns and the pounding of hooves on the dirt and grass tracks she grew up around. Now a first-generation college graduate with a bachelor’s degree, she initially set out to experience college life in full, double majoring in history and secondary education, singing in Anaclastic, the all-female a cappella group, and serving in the Friars Club.
As her time at PC ran down, however, Kelly knew she needed work experience.
“By junior year, everyone starts thinking, ‘What are you going to do after college?’ I needed some kind of experience beyond just working at a racetrack,” she said.
At her parents’ suggestion, she contacted Nancy Kelly (no relation), then the executive director of the Safety Net Foundation, about an internship opportunity.
“My parents, being in the industry, would attend charity events (for the foundation) and said, ‘I think Nancy plans events. Why don’t you just call her?’”
Kelly spent the next two summers at the foundation assisting in organizing charity events. She valued the experience gleaned from her internship, but she still wasn’t planning to make the racing industry a career.
Upon graduation, she spent a year working in public relations. Though she enjoyed the work, an opening at the foundation appealed to her roots and in the end was too good an opportunity to pass up. She continued to expand her knowledge, skills, and experiences in development and other areas with the foundation, leading to her appointment as the foundation’s executive director when an opening occurred early last year.
Gagliano believes it’s more than her racing background that has led to this level of achievement.
“She has to deal with a lot of different people over the course of the day, from corporate executives from whom she fundraises to people who work in our industry who may be in a time of need. That isn’t an easy task,” said Gagliano.
“Shannon’s background and familiarity with the racetrack world gave her a good start here. But it is her poise, work ethic, and outgoing nature that have really made her so successful,” he said.
