Amanda Kelly named VOV general manager
Published 10:48 am Wednesday, January 28, 2026
Voice of Vashon has appointed longtime Vashon Island resident Amanda Kelly as its general manager, filling the vacancy left when former executive director Kate Dowling departed in August 2025.
“Our selection committee took four months to do a careful search for a candidate that is qualified to lead VoV into our expanding future, and Amanda is a perfect fit,” said VoV Board President Rick Wallace.
Kelly will work with the VoV board to use King County grants to expand the organization’s video capacity and improve its technical stability, according to the announcement.
“Every day I’m learning more about Voice of Vashon and its plans for the future, and I’m excited to be at this pivotal planning stage with the board and all VoV’s remarkable volunteers,” Kelly said in the announcement. “I feel lucky to have this opportunity to connect more with the community.”
Kelly is the founder and owner of Swordfern Agency, an island-based firm that has been “providing strategic direction to local, national and international businesses and organizations for more than 15 years,” according to the announcement.
“I was looking for work that would allow me to contribute to the community and what VoV has is astounding. From the emergency alerts to the shows created by community volunteers, and remote broadcasts, Voice of Vashon provides a rich resource for our island community. It’s a great place for me to land,” Kelly said. “In this half-time role, I will be able to keep Swordfern going and lend a hand to VoV.”
The announcement also noted Kelly’s roles outside of her business work, describing her as a mother of five grown children, a yoga teacher and personal trainer, and a published poet.
Recent works include her poem “Say Their Names,” published in 2024’s The Nature of Our Times: Poems on America’s Lands, Waters, Wildlife, and Other Natural Wonders. The announcement said the poem was also published in Northwest Artists Against Extinction, a project of Save Our wild Salmon Coalition’s book Tribute to Tahlequah, published in spring 2025.
After moving west, Kelly continued writing and said, “My plan for old age is to be a full-time poet and runner.”
