Cultural Diversity Roster

Find a Presenter

speaker

Kelly Rutherford

Kelly Rutherford

Mom, Actress, Activist & Philanthropist

As Lily van der Woodsen on the CW Network's iconic Gossip Girl for six seasons, Kelly Rutherford played pampered,

See Below for Full Bio

Categories :

Add To My Speakers List Request Availabilty
[Sassy_Social_Share]

Bio

Full Bio

As Lily van der Woodsen on the CW Network’s iconic Gossip Girl for six seasons, Kelly Rutherford played pampered, privileged and posh alongside her popular teenage daughter Serena (Blake Lively) and her glittering coterie of prep-school pals including Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester), Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick), Nate Archibald (Chace Crawford) and Dan Humphreys (Penn Badgely). For Rutherford, it was the role of her career thus far, which began with recurring roles in soap operas (Loving, Generations) and culminated in 96 episodes of the internationally syndicated Gossip Girl, now streaming on Netflix for a new generation of aspiring it girls, bad boys and cool kids navigating the tricky terrain of money and entitlement.

The seductive world of Upper East Side parties, benefits and Hamptons weekend retreats that made Gossip Girl into must-see TV gave the New York City-based actress an entrée into real-life philanthropic circles, where she is active in women’s and children’s charities. These include the Step Up women’s network, for which she is a board member, empowering girls from under-resourced communities to become college-bound and career-focused professional women, and Healthy Child Healthy World, helping parents to create healthier living environments for their children. She is also a board member of Free Arts NYC for Kids, a mentoring program for underserved children and families.

Rutherford recently launched her own non-profit group, the Children’s Justice Campaign, designed to help families navigate the frequently complex family court system. In 2011, she launched her personal website, kellyrutherford.com, encouraging healthy living and wellness for women, children and young families.

Check Availability

MM slash DD slash YYYY
Check Availability for

Topics

Topics

Life Choices: Real Talk, Not Gossip – An Interactive Discussion

Videos

Videos

Actress Kelly Rutherford On Her Custody Battle
IT ALL COMES DOWN TO LOVE | Kelly Rutherford and Kristina B Persson

Books

Please Contact Us For More Information

News

Please Contact Us For More Information

TESTIMONIALS

CLIENT TESTIMONIALS

The American Psychological Association was thrilled to have Dr. Antonia Novello as our speaker for the 2024 APA Convention. Dr. Novello was fantastic, and her presentation was a tremendous success. Thank you, Peter, for all your hard work in making this event such a resounding success.

American Psychological Association

For our annual Native American Heritage Month celebration, PDA Group arranged for John Echohawk to join us for a virtual moderated discussion. The program was thoughtful, engaging, and highly impactful for our audience of lawyers and professional staff. We are grateful for their partnership and look forward to working with them again.

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP

We have partnered with PDA Group on multiple successful events, including our charity luncheon with Lisa Edelstein and our Women’s Philanthropy Kickoff Event featuring Allegra Goodman. Their professionalism, expertise, and commitment to excellence make them an outstanding partner. Thank you for your exceptional work and continued support.

UJA-Federation

We have received so much fantastic feedback following our virtual event. It was an absolute success, and Sylvia Fowles was excellent. Thank you again to Sylvia and the entire team for your partnership!”

U.S. Bank

Kurt Warner was spectacular—he completely wowed the audience and solidified major leadership points. He was an amazing partner, and we will be talking about this experience for years to come. We will definitely leverage the PDA team for all of our speaking needs!”

Sysco Corporation

The events over the past two years went very well — everyone had a great time with Dr. Mark Esper in 2025, and Sam Hinkie led a very engaging Q&A with our Principal, Jean Reynolds, in 2024. Thank you for working with us these last two years; your support has been instrumental to the success of our programs!

Investcorp Strategic Capital Group

It was an absolute privilege to have Dr. Sanjay Gupta as our keynote speaker for the 2026 GME Leadership Conference. He delivered an outstanding address that resonated deeply and left a lasting impression on everyone in the room. The entire planning process was seamless and collaborative. It was a pleasure working together, brainstorming suggestions, and ultimately selecting the perfect fit for our event. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

HCA Healthcare

We had a fantastic day with Inge! She was very engaging with all those that attended. Her personal stories about the holocaust were very special and we were moved that she was willing to share them with everyone. Thank you again, PDA for all your hard work and dedication to make this program such a success!

Salt Lake Community College

It was a great pleasure to work with PDA Group! The communication was always prompt, friendly and helpful. We loved the speakers and events we booked through Mr. Peter Walker (PDA Group).

Western Michigan University

On behalf of myself and my organization Entertainment Unlimited the Campus Programming Board of Ferris State University, we thank you PDA and Dan for a successful event!! Dan was magnificent! Students really enjoyed the presentation. I know I did. Can’t wait to bring in more programs with PDA Group.

Ferris State University

GET IDEAS

1 Hour or Less
914-940-0075 "America's Entertainment Leader"