Makeup mogul and supermom Maureen Kelly is Chief Executive Officer and Founder of tarte cosmetics, a global, award-winning fan-favorite, valued at over $2B and delivering makeup in over 60 countries.
 
With no makeup artistry or business experience (save for the homemade blush she concocted out of shaving cream and red chalk at the age of six), Ms. Kelly dropped out of her PhD program in clinical psychology at Columbia University to start tarte out of her apartment in 1999. Having struggled with severe acne for years, she set out to create a cruelty-free line of life-tested products infused with high-performance natural ingredients clinically proven to work, all wrapped up in chic, trendy packaging. By 2003 tarte could be found in select retail stores, and in 2005 Ms. Kelly made her debut advocating for tarte on QVC. The brand’s growth exploded, expanding the tarte footprint in Sephora, Ulta Beauty, Macy’s, and beyond. While the beloved cheek stain put the brand on the map, tarte’s #1 product, the Shape Tape concealer, became an instant phenomenon with one sold every four seconds.
 
Ms. Kelly has been recognized for her work not only as an entrepreneur but also for tarte’s philanthropy. She has been honored with EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year and Cosmetic Executive Women’s Achiever Award, among others. In 2017, Ms. Kelly realized a lifelong dream, founding the non-profit heart to tarte to make it even easier to support causes like Dress for Success, Habitat for Humanity, and The It Gets Better Project.
 
Tarte is celebrating their 25 year anniversary with Ms. Kelly leading a 25-city Global Kindness Tour, which has connected tarte with over 6,000 community members and given back over $1M in donations.