Ellen J. Kennedy is the founder and Executive Director of World Without Genocide, a human rights organization headquartered at Mitchell Hamline School of Law, St. Paul, MN.
Through World Without Genocide, Kennedy promotes Holocaust and genocide education in high schools, colleges, faith-based organizations, and civic groups and advocates with elected officials at city, state, and national levels on genocide prevention. Kennedy was a professor at the University of St. Thomas for nearly twenty years and the Interim Director at the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, University of Minnesota, for three years. She founded World Without Genocide with support from her students at the University of St. Thomas in 2006.[1] She has been an adjunct professor[2] at Mitchell Hamline School of Law since 2006 and remains in that position today. She also taught at many colleges and universities abroad, including in China, Ukraine, Poland, India, Japan, Costa Rica, England, Israel, Jamaica, and Australia. She speaks at conferences and events locally, nationally, and internationally.[3] On December 10, 2021, World Without Genocide was designated as formally associated with the United Nations Department of Global Communications. Dr. Ellen Kennedy is a representative of World Without Genocide to the Department.[4]
Dr. Kennedy earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and Psychology from the University of Michigan. She has masters degrees in Communications and English from Northern Michigan University and a masters in Sociology from the University of Minnesota. She also has two doctorates from the University of Minnesota.[5]
Kennedy has published many articles on human rights and genocide in academic and mass publications.[6] Kennedy was also a regular contributor for Minnesota Public Radio from 2010 to 2012.
Dr. Kennedy has received the following awards:[7][8]