Maureen Kelly

Maureen Kelly is Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Tarte Cosmetics, an industry-leading prestigious multi-million dollar makeup brand in over 60 countries. After pursuing her PhD in clinical psychology, Kelly shifted her career path to follow her true passion — to create a line of cruelty-free products infused with high-performance natural ingredients, all wrapped up in chic, trendy packaging. From the iconic cheek stain to the award-winning shape tape concealer, she disrupted the beauty landscape and continues to do so by staying nimble and becoming an early adopter on social media.

Passionate about female empowerment and entrepreneurship, Kelly leads a team of all-female C-suite executives and is focused on supporting the next generation of girl bosses through impactful campaigns like shape your future™ small business awards and tartelette™ U mentorship program. Giving back has always been a major aspect of her brand’s DNA. She has supported charities like Dress for Success, Habitat for Humanity, The It Gets Better Project, and the Sea Turtle Conservancy. She even spearheaded the creation of Tarte’s own all-female cooperative in the Amazon. In 2017, Kelly founded Heart to Tarte, a 501(c)(3) organization to support causes near and dear to the Tarte family. She has received numerous awards from esteemed organizations such as Entrepreneur magazine and OPEN from American Express’ Woman of the Year, Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year, and Cosmetic Executive Women’s Achiever Awards. She is an active member of advisory councils like Ulta Beauty Conscious Beauty, QVC Beauty, the Fashion Institute of Technology, the Good Health Clinic, and local cosmetology programs.

Kelly earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Binghamton University and a master’s degree in psychology from The New School for Social Research.