Kelly Raftery

Kelly Raftery grew up in the Midwest with an abiding passion for the Russian language and culture. A summer studying in Leningrad ignited a life-long passion for the world behind the Iron Curtain. After graduate school, she spent five years in the wild world of Soviet collapse bringing capitalism to the masses as a small business consultant in locales as far-flung as Russia’s “Venice of the North” and the Silk Road’s “Gem of the East.” Finding herself yearning for something less chaotic, Kelly moved on to bring her hard-earned knowledge to Washington, DC. She is proudest of having accompanied SBA Administrator Aida Alvarez to Cabinet-level meetings in Russia and developing an award-winning, innovative web product to link American and Russian-speaking businesses at the Department of Commerce. Since leaving Washington, Kelly has taught Russian language and Soviet Pop Culture to eager undergrads and worked as a freelance interpreter / translator / blogger / writer. Kelly lives with her family in Colorado’s Front Range.

You can contact Kelly Raftery via Facebook.