Kerri Kennedy serves as the International Associate General Secretary for AFSC. She is a global peacebuilder and international executive with twenty years of experience leading international peace and justice organizations. She has an M.S. from American University and has worked in 50+ countries including war zones, post conflict countries, and in the U.S. She has spent her career working to reduce conflict and structural violence globally and to ensure that all have a voice in policy and politics. After her time supporting women politicians in Afghanistan, she created Represent PAC to support progressive women candidates in Pennsylvania and beyond. She is a Truman National Security Fellow, the Vice Chair of the Alliance for Peacebuilding and the co-editor of the book Indivisible: Global Leaders for Shared Security.
Invite Kerri to speak at your event.
Media Highlights
Selected publications, media appearances, and speaking engagements.
Indivisible: Global Leaders on Shared Security. A volume convening leading practitioners and policymakers at the intersection of global peace, security, and human rights.
Israel Bans Quaker Aid Group That's Worked With Palestinians in Gaza Since 1948 (NPR Here & Now). Explaining Gaza NGO restrictions and global implications of humanitarian access limitations.
A Small Town Rallied After ICE Detained A Beloved Neighbor And Got Him Released — Here's How. (Huffington Post). Featured coverage on detention of Ruperto Vicens-Marquez in Atlantic Highlands, NJ. Community mobilization against state violence.
MAGA Deportation IS Political Violence (Convergence Magazine). Discussion of Trump-era deportation policies and normalized state violence.
Kerri Kennedy on U.S. Aid to Gaza (Al Jazeera). Discussion of military operations in Rafah and impact on aid distribution. Featured on AFSC Gaza Crisis video hub.
The Near-Impossible Task of Providing Food Aid in Gaza (CNN Opinion). Personal account of humanitarian workers under bombardment; called for ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian access.
Three-Step Solution to Prevent Future Election Violence (Common Dreams). Bipartisan framework for accountability and community-based solutions.
Three Things the U.S. Must Do to Prevent Future Election Violence (Foreign Policy In Focus). Post-insurrection recovery framework.
Under the Mask (Paris Peace Forum) COVID-19 as pretext for civil society repression and criminalization of human rights activists.
Like Kenya and Burundi, the US Has Now Met Our Criteria for Election Violence (The Independent). Applied international peacebuilding metrics to the U.S. election.
I Work to Stop Election Violence in Africa. Now I Am Worried for the U.S. (Newsweek). Warning about federal force deployment and voter intimidation tactics.
Selected Keynotes & Public Addresses. Kennedy is a sought-after keynote speaker on peacebuilding, humanitarian response, election violence prevention, and democratic resilience. Selected venues include: EU Parliament, Paris Peace Forum, Princeton (Chamber of Commerce), and ABAI. Additional engagements available upon request