03/03/2026
This Women’s History Month, we proudly celebrate Kelly Longwell — founding member of Longwell Riess, L.L.C. and a nationally recognized leader in affordable housing and community development law.
For more than two decades, Kelly has helped shape communities through complex public-private partnerships, tax credit financing, and mission-driven development. But her impact extends far beyond transactions.
As a certified women-owned firm, Longwell Riess stands as a reflection of leadership, excellence, and quiet courage — the kind that opens doors for others simply by walking through them first.
Kelly shared this reflection: “𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘓𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘙𝘪𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯-𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘦𝘥 — 𝘐 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘮. 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘐 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥.”
Visibility matters. Leadership matters. Representation matters.
This month, and every month, we celebrate the women who build, lead, and lift others as they rise.
