Prior to serving the health non-profit sector, Kelly Barta worked as a contract musician; a live performing and studio artist in vocals and piano. After a health crisis that left her bedridden for over 1 1/2 years due to an adverse outcome from long-term topical steroid use to treat eczema called Topical Steroid Withdrawal Syndrome (TSW), Kelly joined ITSAN as a member of the Board of Directors in 2016. ITSAN is an international nonprofit organization that supports over 10,000 individuals around the world who are going through TSW and serves as a resource for both patients and physicians. She went on to become the Executive Director in 2017 and then ITSAN’s President in 2018. The unspeakable suffering, isolation, and lack of medical awareness and support for those going through TSW drove Kelly into the world of advocacy. This led her to also work with the National Eczema Association and to her current role as State Lead of Advocacy and Special Projects Manager for Allergy and Asthma Network (AAN), a national nonprofit that serves over 24 million people with asthma and 50 million with allergies and related conditions like eczema. In addition to her work with AAN, she serves as President of the Coalition of Skin Diseases, a group of over 20 US based, skin-related patient organizations and affiliates that exists to elevate awareness of skin diseases and promote research, advocacy and education around skin disease and health. She also serves on the Atopic Dermatitis Advocacy Advisory board for Globalskin (IADPO), an international group of 160 patient organizations from 50 countries.

Kelly is impassioned to be a voice for the voiceless and has had the opportunity to bring awareness to the great needs of individuals with skin disease in both academic and political arenas, speaking in universities and on state and federal levels. Her hope is that through collaboration between patients, physicians, industry, and policy makers, the understanding of skin disease and advancements in treatment would help alleviate the suffering of those living with skin conditions and create a better tomorrow for all in healthcare. Kelly currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her two sons and cat, Silverbell.