Kelly Rice Schmitt

Kelly Rice Schmitt is a mom in STEM writing for curious kids of all ages! She loves getting little humans excited about BIG ideas and believes that children are often far more capable than grown-ups assume. A former energy trader, Kelly is an advocate for girls in STEM and business. Combining a love of writing with her STEAM background, Kelly creates books to inspire the next generation of leaders and innovators.

Kelly studied Finance, Chinese, and English at the University of Notre Dame (Go Irish!) where she also sang and performed in musicals. Her award-winning picture books include, I Ship, a Science Friday 2023 Best STEM book for Kids and 2023 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award winner; I Fuel, a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Award winner, and I TRUCK, which received a Booklist starred review. Kelly lives in North Carolina with her family and many piles of books, and can be found on social media at @krschmittwrites.