Karen Kennedy, senior advisor in the Office of the Executive Vice President at the University of Notre Dame, has been appointed associate vice president for residential life in the Division of Student Affairs, effective spring 2024.

In this role, Kennedy will oversee all established and emerging areas of the Office of Residential Life, including residential communities, facilities, programs and services available to the more than 6,600 undergraduate students who reside on campus. As associate vice president, Kennedy will also provide strategic leadership of the University’s residential model, one of the most established and distinctive components of the Notre Dame undergraduate experience. Additionally, Kennedy will steward the unit’s core mission of providing holistic student development and formation in the context of community rooted in the University’s Catholic, Holy Cross tradition.

“Karen brings to this role a deep knowledge of and appreciation for residential life at Notre Dame, a sincere devotion to our students and a strong commitment to her faith and our Catholic mission,” said Rev. Gerard Olinger, C.S.C., vice president for student affairs. “I am thrilled that she will return to the Division of Student Affairs to strategically and thoughtfully lead a team that supports student belonging, helps students to integrate their academic and social lives, and encourages students to cultivate their gifts, talents and interests at Notre Dame and beyond.”

Kennedy earned her master’s degree in higher education administration from Boston College, and her bachelor’s degree in science-business from the University of Notre Dame. She began her career at Notre Dame in 2012.

Before she started in her role as senior advisor to the executive vice president, Kennedy served as program director for ND Innovates in Institutional Research, Innovation, & Strategy. Within the Division of Student Affairs, Kennedy previously held leadership roles as director of student centers, activities and events; director of housing; and senior advisor to the vice president for student affairs. Kennedy also received both the Rev. John Francis “Pop” Farley, C.S.C., Award from the division for her distinguished role in student life, and the Nancy J. Walsh Irish Clover Award from Notre Dame Student Government for her exemplary service to the student body.

Prior to Notre Dame, Kennedy worked at Boston College for six years, during which time she served as director of the Urban Catholic Teacher Corps and helped launch the Lynch Leadership Academy.

Kennedy lives in South Bend with her husband, Sean, and three children.