Mary Kay Kennedy joined NCAJ in 2023 as the Administration and Stewardship Manager. She has worked in non-profit development, cultivating relationships with donors small and large, business and organizations throughout the Triangle for over 10 years. She practices community-centered work, striving to always center the people an organization serves.

Prior to coming to NCAJ, Kennedy served as the Director of Development + Strategy for Learning Together, a developmental day center serving preschool age children with and without developmental delays or disabilities. At Learning Together, she built a diversified fundraising strategy encompassing grant writing, corporate sponsorships, donor relations, communications, and special events. She worked closely with the Executive Director and Board of Directors to raise awareness about the importance of inclusive education.

Kennedy graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in photography from Arizona State University. After graduation, she spent several years working as a licensing agent for a stock photo company in California before moving to Raleigh in 2006.

A lover of animals, Kennedy lives in Raleigh with her husband, two sons, two dogs, two cats, three birds, one hamster, one bearded dragon, one tortoise and one hermit crab. When not wrangling kids or pets, she enjoys trying not to kill her houseplants, spending time outdoors, playing video games with her 7 year old, bird watching with her 9 year old, and reading.