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Dr. John J. Kennedy
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Biography
Dr. Kennedy is a native of North Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, whose research focus is on the government and politics of the state. He has been a faculty member at West Chester University since 1997. He resides in Montgomery County with his wife, Kelli, their two daughters, Clare and Shannon, four cats and one turtle. He enjoys running, lap swimming and listening to and collecting music.
Education
- Ph.D. Temple University
- M.P.A. Kutztown University
- B.S. Kutztown University
Publications/Activities
He has written three books on state politics, The Contemporary Pennsylvania Legislature (1999) and Pennsylvania Elections (2005, revised 2014), and Pennsylvania Government and Politics (2018). He serves on the Executive Board of the Pennsylvania Political Science Association and is a charter member of the Pennsylvania Policy Forum. In addition, Dr. Kennedy is the advisor for the College Democrats, director of the Legislative Fellows program and the internship director within the department.
In 2017, he served as an expert witness for the plaintiffs in the landmark case, League of Women Voters v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, which successfully overturned the congressional district maps across the state. He was appointed by Governor Tom Wolf in 2020 to serve on the Pennsylvania Redistricting Advisory Council, which submitted a set of guiding principles regarding the congressional redistricting map. Previously, he was the Keynote Speaker at the 2015 Pennsylvania Undergraduate Research Conference. In 2006, he was selected as a featured speaker at the Centennial Celebration of the state capital building.
He has been a frequent contributor to various news organizations regionally and nationally, such as NBC, PBS, NPR, Business Insider, Philadelphia Inquirer, Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post, as well as a variety of local outlets. His work on the redistricting case was featured in a 2018 piece in Wired magazine.
Classes Regularly Taught
- PSC 100 American Government
- PSC 255 State and Local Government
- PSC 324 American Political Parties
- PSC 325 Campaigns and Elections
- PSC 335 Pennsylvania Politics
- PSC 355 US Congress