Mary Kennedy, Chief Executive Officer

Mary Kennedy is the Chief Executive Officer of Mid-America Arts Alliance, a position she has held since 2002. M-AAA provides cultural experiences and services on average to more than one million children and adults annually through more than 1,000 programs in over 150 communities. Her 25-year tenure at M-AAA began as Curator of Exhibitions for ExhibitsUSA, its national traveling exhibition program with the largest market share in the U.S. Subsequently she was the Director of ExhibitsUSA and the Director of Programs for M-AAA, during which she co-created major M-AAA programs such as HELP (Hands-on Experiential Learning Project), NEH on the Road, and ENGAGE. Prior to her M-AAA tenure she served as the Assistant Director of the Kansas Arts Commission; Research Assistant at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth; Instructor on the History of Photography at Texas Christian University, Fort Worth; and Curator for a major private photography collection in Los Angeles. She is the author of numerous books and publications and she speaks frequently on the arts and arts advocacy. Mary received her BA with honors in art history from the University of Kansas and her MA with departmental honors in art history and museum studies from the University of Southern California.