Ellen J. Kennedy

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. 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 began as an adjunct professor at Mitchell Hamline School of Law in September 2006 and remains today.

Kennedy earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and Psychology from the University of Northern Michigan. She received her Masters of Arts in English and Masters of Education in Communications from the University of Northern Michigan. She has two doctorates from the University of Minnesota in Marketing and Sociology.

Kennedy has published a series of articles on human rights and genocide. She has written two articles for Bench and Bar of Minnesota on conflict minerals and the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. Kennedy has also written articles for the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Her most recent article, “How hateful rhetoric can turn deadly,” was printed on April 18, 2016. She also contributes to the MinnPost regularly. Her last article, “Nicosia: Peace advocates in a divided city,” was published on August 5, 2016. Kennedy contributed to Minnesota Public Radio between 2010 and 2012. Her last article, “To limit freedom of marriage is an impulse felt by the worst of governments,” was issued on October 11, 2012.

Kennedy’s advocacy work was featured in the Minnesota Women’s Press in July 2016.