Laura Kennedy ’73
Company / School: Foreign Policy 4 America Foundation
Position / Degree: Chair of the Board
Overview
Chair of the Board, Foreign Policy 4 America Foundation
Washington, DC
- BA, Asian Studies, Vassar College|
- MA, International Relations, American University
Ambassador Laura Kennedy (she/her) is a foreign affairs expert who served for nearly 40 years with the U.S. Foreign Service. She was Ambassador to Turkmenistan (2001-2003), Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs (2004-2005), taught and served as Deputy Commandant at the National War College (2007-2009), and was appointed U.S. Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva and Special Representative for Biological Weapons Convention Issues (2010-2013). After retiring, she was recalled to service as Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Turkmenistan in 2014, and then Charge at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in Vienna and member of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency until July 2015. Ambassador Kennedy serves on the boards of the American Academy of Diplomacy, Foreign Policy for America, the Arms Control Association, the Leadership Council for Women in National Security, and the Deep Cuts Commission. She was appointed to Secretary Blinken’s International Security Advisory Board in 2022. Follow Ambassador Kennedy on X at @AmbKennedy_ret
Advice to Students:
When I was a student at Vassar, I had no intention to work for the U.S. Government. I then spent almost four decades as a U.S. diplomat. Have a plan, but be aware that you may end up (happily!) going in a very different direction.
