Kathleen Kennedy Townsend has had a distinguished career in both the public and private sectors. Her influence and leadership has made a lasting impact on crime reduction, women’s rights, workforce development, and public service.

As Maryland’s first female Lieutenant Governor, she spearheaded initiatives such as the Hot Spots crime reduction program, launched Character Education in public schools, initiated microfinance lending, and mandated domestic violence training for state employees. She chaired the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Task Force, the Office of Crime Control and Prevention, the Governor’s Office of Workforce Development, the Governor’s Office of Children, Youth and Families, and the Task Force on Drug Treatment.

Previously, as Deputy Assistant Attorney General, she played a key role in training 100,000 community police officers and contributed to the establishment of the Peace Corps and Civic Works, a Baltimore-based community service corps. She founded the Maryland Student Service Alliance, successfully leading the effort for Maryland to be the first state to make Service-Learning a high school graduation requirement. She developed curricula for grades K-12 and Special Education, and trained over 2,000 teachers in service-learning techniques. She also co-founded Civic Works, an urban service corps in Baltimore.

Following her tenure as Lieutenant Governor, Townsend became a Managing Director at Rock Creek, one of the largest women-owned asset management firms in the U.S. She also launched Maryland Saves, co-founded the Center for Retirement Initiatives, and led retirement reform efforts under President Biden’s administration. Additionally, she served as a Senior Advisor to the Secretary of the Navy and a Special Advisor at the Department of State.

In the 1980s, Townsend founded the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award and chaired the Institute of Human Virology, which provides treatment to over one million patients in Africa through PEPFAR. She also chaired the Global Virus Network and the Robert Kennedy Memorial.

An honors graduate of Harvard University, Townsend earned her law degree from the University of New Mexico, where she was a member of the Law Review. She has received 14 honorary degrees in recognition of her contributions. She has served on the boards of the Export-Import Bank, Johns Hopkins SAIS, the Wilderness Society, the YMCA, the Points of Light Foundation, and the Center for Popular Democracy.