Kelly Price Noble, DHA, MAOM, CRCFEA, CSA®
Senior Navigation Consultant. Advance Care Planning Specialist. Author. Speaker.
Our Story
For years, I poured my heart into understanding how to care for an aging population — a journey that shaped every chapter of my career and ultimately gave rise to my first book. In 2020, life gave me the chance to turn knowledge into action.
That year, I began traveling monthly from my home in California to Maryland to care for my aging parents. What I had studied, taught, and supported others through became deeply personal. The clinical frameworks and the lived experience of sitting at a hospital bedside, of navigating difficult conversations, of loving someone through decline — those two things became one.
"Caregiving can challenge you in ways you never expected, yet it also deepens your capacity to love."
My mother had modeled caregiving for me long before I had words for it. I watched her care for her own parents, her siblings, her community — with a steadiness and grace that I have spent my professional life trying to understand and share. When it was my turn, I drew on everything she had shown me.
What I carry from that season is a commitment that runs through every consultation, every keynote, every page of everything I write: to remind those in the middle of this work that they are not alone, and that even in the hardest moments, there is grace to be found.
"To remind them they are not alone, and even in the hardest moments, there is grace to be found."
That is the work. That is why KAPN Consulting: Innovative Solutions exists.
Professional Background
Kelly Price Noble, DHA, MAOM, CRCFEA, CSA® is a nationally recognized thought leader, author, and advocate in the fields of aging, caregiving, and healthcare systems. With a Doctorate in Healthcare Administration and a Master's in Organizational Management, Kelly brings a unique blend of clinical insight, operational leadership, and deeply personal caregiving experience to every aspect of her work.
As a Certified Residential Care Facility for the Elderly Administrator and Certified Senior Advisor, Kelly specializes in guiding individuals, families, and organizations through the complexities of aging. Her expertise spans neurodegenerative conditions, long-term care planning, regulatory and facility operations, financial awareness, and end-of-life decision-making.
Academic and Clinical Leadership
Kelly has served as Chair of the College of Health Professions at the University of Phoenix, where she shaped curriculum and led a faculty focused on preparing the next generation of healthcare professionals. Her clinical research at the VA San Diego Healthcare System Spinal Cord Injury Center deepened her understanding of patient-centered care for aging and medically complex populations.
Veteran Advocacy and Federal Service
As National DEI Manager at U.S. VETS and Executive Director of the Cal-Diego Paralyzed Veterans Association, Kelly worked directly with veterans and their caregiving families at some of the most vulnerable points in their lives. She served as National President of the PVA Chapter Executive Directors and spent seven years testifying before the Joint Hearing Committee on Veterans' Benefits — bringing the realities of caregiving and elder care to the attention of Congress.
Consulting, Speaking, and Writing
Today, Kelly channels that breadth of experience into her consulting practice, her speaking engagements, and her writing. She is the author of A Mindfulness Journey: Caring for an Aging Population, where she integrates professional knowledge with lived experience to offer a compassionate, human-centered approach to caregiving. Her work emphasizes dignity, presence, and meaning-making in later life. That series continues with A Mindfulness Journey in Palliative and Hospice Care: Ethical Presence at End of Life (Fall 2026) and A Mindfulness Journey through the Stages of Grief (2026–2027). Her podcast, Aging Out Loud, extends that conversation further — bringing accessible, compassionate guidance on aging to a national audience.
Through speaking, writing, and program development, Kelly empowers others to approach aging not as a challenge to be managed, but as a profound stage of life to be honored with intention, respect, and care.
Credentials
Doctor of Health Administration (DHA)
Master of Arts in Organizational Management (MAOM)
Certified Residential Care Facility for the Elderly Administrator (CRCFEA)
Certified Senior Advisor (CSA)®
What Kelly Believes
KAPN Consulting: Innovative Solutions exists because the people doing the hardest work in healthcare — family caregivers, nurses, social workers, advance care planning specialists, and the professionals sitting beside the dying — deserve support, clarity, and a body of knowledge written with their reality in mind.
The work is this: connecting people to people. Caregivers to guidance. Families to honest conversation. Healthcare organizations to the kind of education and expertise that shapes better outcomes for aging populations and the professionals who serve them.
The vision is a healthcare landscape in which every family has access to clear, compassionate conversation about aging, serious illness, and the choices that matter most — before a crisis makes those conversations urgent.
"Connecting people to people."
If Kelly's story resonates with you — whether you are a caregiver searching for support, a healthcare organization looking for a speaker or consultant, or a professional seeking a colleague in this work — the next step is a conversation.
Want to explore her work first?
Browse consulting services or learn about her books.
Who is Kelly Price Noble?
Kelly Price Noble, DHA, MAOM, CRCFEA, CSA® is the founder and CEO of KAPN Consulting: Innovative Solutions, a palliative care consultant, advance care planning specialist, author, and speaker based in San Diego, California. She supports caregivers, families, and healthcare organizations navigating aging, serious illness, and end-of-life care. Her work is grounded in more than a decade of clinical research, healthcare leadership, and personal caregiving experience.
