Five Questions with Erin Kelly ’13

If you’ve been to a Boston Celtics game sometime in the past 10 years, then chances are Erin Kelly ’13 had something to do with your experience at TD Garden. Soon after her Stonehill graduation, Kelly began her career with the Celtics, first in sales and then in guest engagement. 

“Each person attends a game for their own specific reason, and my job is to make sure that they leave wanting to come back,” says Kelly, who was promoted to senior manager of guest experience and arena operations in December. 

A 12-year veteran with the Celtics organization, Kelly has had many rewarding and exciting moments with the team, from playoff games and championships to celebrating milestone moments and sharing experiences with fans. In recognition of being a “true team member,” she was awarded the Bobby Vines Outstanding Service Award in 2019, which is presented to a Celtics staff member who demonstrates exemplary client services and a willingness to lend a hand to those in need.

In five questions, Kelly talks about interacting with Celtics fans, winning Banner 18 in 2024 and how two professors helped her discover her passion for writing and working with people. 

What does a typical day look like for you? 

Honestly, I don’t have a typical day! Each day is different based on whether we have a game and if we’re in-season or offseason. During the season, my focus is making sure that all experiences related to fans are buttoned up and communicated properly across all departments. This includes overseeing our customer service platforms, working with TD Garden’s operations team to review any game day needs and being present at games, assisting with ticket and service inquiries. In the offseason, my primary focus is reviewing and debriefing all initiatives that took place the season before and brainstorming ways to improve and enhance our initiatives, along with continuing to oversee all customer service inquiries. 

What role does guest experience and arena operations play in the success of a Celtics game day?

What I love most about my job is that I get to interact with fans of all backgrounds and help create memorable experiences for them. Whether it’s providing support with an issue, guiding someone to their seats or creating a surprise and delight moment, I have an opportunity to make a small impact in their experience and share with them the excitement of attending a Celtics game. It’s something I don’t take for granted.

You’ve worked for the Celtics for nearly 12 years. If you were making a highlight reel of your experience, what moments would be on it?

It won’t come as a surprise that my number one highlight would be winning Banner 18 in 2024 and receiving my championship ring! It was a surreal experience, and there are so many memories from that celebration that I will never forget. I’ve been fortunate to be involved in a handful of other experiences throughout my career here, including Paul Pierce’s and Kevin Garnett’s retirement ceremonies, traveling to Playoff games with colleagues, including the Finals in San Francisco and Dallas, celebrating the team’s 75^th anniversary and having my family visit TD Garden for the first time. It’s hard to narrow down the highlight reel when the crowd and atmosphere are electric every game!

How do you approach a challenging day? 

One of the best pieces of advice I received from my manager was to approach each situation and task with a solution-oriented mindset. This has helped me tremendously on challenging days while working through customer service situations, as it shaped my mindset to be proactive rather than reactive. Our game days are long, and when one is particularly challenging, I also rely on my teammates. Guest experience is truly a collaborative effort, and my colleagues are always willing to lend support or offer a different perspective. 

At Stonehill, you were involved in a variety of activities—varsity volleyball, Orientation team, Student Alumni Association, Chapel Choir, The Summit—how did these experiences prepare you for life after graduation?

Being involved in a variety of activities helped me realize that I wanted an active career that wasn’t a standard 9-5. I loved going from one thing to the next, and I became friends with the people I met. Each of these activities also fostered collaboration, teamwork, time management and attention to detail, which are critical aspects of my job. 

While I loved learning from all my professors, two of them stand out as they greatly impacted my college experience—Professor [Anne] Mattina and Professor [Maureen] Boyle. I don’t think I’d be where I am now without their guidance. Not only did they help me discover my passion for working with people and writing, but they also provided genuine advice as I started to think about my next chapter. You can easily tell that they care about their field and their students, and they made me excited to come to class and learn.