Mari-Anne Kehler

Mari-Anne Kehler, CDP, is a member of GHJ’s Executive Committee and leads firm growth strategy, especially in relation to business development and marketing. She is also Strategist for GHJ Foundation, GHJ’s vehicle for purposeful and proactive giving to the community, and Global Leader, Client Advisory Services for HLB, the global accounting network GHJ is part of.

Mari-Anne has more than 30 years of experience as a high-impact leader who successfully expands business through action by using core skills of teaming, coaching, strategy development, program execution, measurement and innovation. Applying an integrated, client-centric approach, she has experience working across various industries including professional services, finance, consumer business and entertainment and media.

Passionate about diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA), Mari-Anne was credentialed by the National Diversity Council through Emory University as a Certified Diversity Professional (CDP).

In 2022, Mari-Anne was featured as a visionary honoree in Los Angeles Times’ DEIA Magazine and in 2021, was a named finalist for its Inspirational Women in Business Awards. In both 2020 and 2021, Mari-Anne was nominated for the Los Angeles Business Journal’s (LABJ’s) Women’s Leadership Awards, “Executive of the Year” for her many contributions as a business leader and impact in the community. She was also previously named a “Most Influential Marketer” by LABJ and was recognized for the CMO Club’s “CMO Transformation Award” for her demonstrated ability to lead company-wide brand transformation beyond the marketing department.

Prior to joining GHJ in 2015, Mari-Anne held sales, marketing and business development leadership roles at top organizations. She served as a national marketing leader for a Big Four firm. During her tenure, she held a number of positions on the Marketing and Business Development Leadership Team, including heading up National Tax marketing and marketing and business development of the Pacific Southwest region. She earned a reputation as a highly rated trainer of senior-level talent at the firm's globally renowned training program. Mari-Anne also previously led West Coast regional marketing efforts for a division of Nestle. She began her career on Wall Street at Morgan Stanley. She has also held director positions at Bertelsmann Entertainment and Grey Direct, overall gaining insights in various industries including finance, entertainment, media and consumer products.

Mari-Anne’s nonprofit work focuses on organizational problem solving, leadership coaching, capacity building, constituent development, communications and global and grass-roots advocacy.

Mari-Anne has been active in the community in the areas of disability awareness and fundraising and in mentoring families and professionals for almost two decades. She specializes in creating successful transition strategies to optimize the disability journey into adulthood.

In addition to serving on numerous nonprofit boards supporting children, education and the disability community. She currently serves on the Board of the Autism Society of Los Angeles. She is a frequent speaker at universities and conferences on the topic of disabilities awareness, transition to adulthood and the impact on families.

Mari-Anne has been a featured speaker at conferences on topics such as DEI, growth, brand and marketing strategy. Her book Putting the Profit in Nonprofit has been a #1 e-book bestseller on Amazon.