Kelly Oliver – Granicus

Despite never taking a construction class, Kelly Oliver has proven herself an exceptional builder—not with bricks and mortar, but with processes and people.

Kelly Oliver | Granicus | VP of Legal

When she joined Granicus in February 2021, there was no legal department—just a tangled web of renewals, pricing and contract reviews. Armed with her deep legal expertise and clear vision, Oliver rolled up her sleeves and constructed a thriving legal department from the ground up. Her ability to architect a cohesive team, define roles and align functions with business needs showcased her natural talent for building strong foundations and adaptable frameworks, ensuring long-term success for Granicus.

“I didn’t have experience building a department, but I knew what a department should look like and what we needed to get there,” says Oliver, the company’s vice president of legal.

Granicus, a private equity-owned software company, specializes in government experience technology and services, helping governments across the globe engage with constituents more effectively. Its products span federal, state, local and international markets, supporting diverse interactions from local city councils to national governments. For Oliver, joining Granicus meant stepping into a hybrid role that expanded far beyond her traditional expertise as a software lawyer. She faced the unique challenge of building a legal department from scratch for a company defined by rapid growth and business complexity.

“It was an incredible opportunity to build something from the ground up, but it was also daunting,” Oliver tells Vanguard during an interview in early December.

‘A shock to the system’

Having spent 19 years in practice, Oliver’s transition to Granicus in 2021 was a leap into uncharted territory.

“It was a shock to the system,” she admits. “I went from being a traditional software lawyer to taking on pricing, renewals, and compliance. I thought it would be fun to do something business-oriented, but it was also incredibly challenging.”

Despite the initial hurdles, Oliver’s vision for a cohesive, better-functioning legal department began to take shape. By August 2021, after months of advocating for new roles, defining job descriptions and realigning responsibilities, Granicus officially launched its new legal, pricing and renewals teams.

“I essentially interviewed everyone on the team,” Oliver says. “I had to figure out who was who, what they were doing, and how to position them for success. Each function requires a specific skill set, and I knew it wouldn’t be sustainable if people were jumping between roles.”

Her efforts paid off. By early 2022, the department began to hum. It took a few months, but by January, something clicked. The business started to see the value of what they were doing, and the legal team was fully on board, she says.

Empowering leadership and growth

Oliver’s leadership style is rooted in transparency, authenticity and availability.

“The key to getting folks to follow you is being upfront and accessible,” she explains. “I sat with my team leaders—who weren’t leaders at the time—and helped them realize they were ready to step up.”

Under Oliver’s guidance, many team members flourished. Some of them were fresh out of college, in their first jobs. They knew the ins and outs of their roles better than Oliver did, and she leaned on them heavily. Empowering them was one of the most rewarding parts of this journey, she says.

This approach bolstered morale and contributed to Granicus’ exponential growth. Today, Oliver leads a team of 20, including four lawyers. She’s particularly proud of the global reach of her department, which now includes a legal team in Puerto Rico supporting operations across Latin America, as well as resources in the United Kingdom and other international markets.

The journey wasn’t without its difficulties. Oliver recalls the pandemic’s impact on her team’s dynamics and the unique challenges of selling to government entities.

“Government sales are incredibly niche,” she explains. “Every customer has its own procurement rules and regulations, which requires a lot of compliance work.”

Despite these obstacles, Oliver successfully transitioned the renewals and pricing functions to other departments within the company. Renewals now fall under customer success, led by a vice president who focuses entirely on that area, and the pricing team moved to sales operations. These functions thrive in the hands of leaders who understand their specific motivators.

A career of law and order

Oliver’s journey to becoming Granicus’ de facto general counsel is as unconventional as her role. Growing up in a blue-collar, military family, she was the first woman in her family to graduate from college.

“My dad beat me to graduation by one semester,” she jokes. “He went to college nights on the GI Bill while working full time for the military.”

Her path to law began with a love of justice and a childhood fascination with legal dramas. However, her career took an unexpected turn during law school when she discovered a passion for technology law.

“I never worked in a law firm or had to bill an hour. I started with the New York State Office of Technology through a well-placed connection, which set the course for my career.”

Reflecting on her time at Granicus, Oliver says this role has been both rewarding and challenging in her career.

“I’ve grown as a leader, and I’ve watched my team and the company grow in ways I couldn’t have imagined,” Oliver says.

As Granicus continues to expand its footprint in GovTech, Oliver remains focused on supporting the business’s evolving needs. “The success of the business is our success,” she says.

“Whether navigating new markets or adapting to changes due to different administrations in Washington, D.C., my team and I are here to ensure Granicus thrives.”

Oliver’s story is one of resilience, adaptability and leadership. Her ability to transform Granicus’ legal operations is a testament to the power of vision and the impact of empowering a team.