Universities Faculty & Staff
University of Louisiana Monroe
Dr. Kathy Kennedy serves as Associate Director of the Graduate Nursing Program and Associate Professor at the University of Louisiana Monroe’s Kitty DeGree School of Nursing. With a Doctor of Nursing Practice from Frontier Nursing University and board certification in nurse-midwifery, Dr. Kennedy brings over 30 years of clinical experience and 15 years of academic service to her role. She has led the design and implementation of innovative academic programs including interprofessional education initiatives, competency-based curricula, and student success boot camps aimed at improving retention and graduate readiness.
Her leadership is reflected in active participation in faculty governance, tenure and promotion committees, and statewide professional boards. She is recognized as an AACN Essentials Champion and serves on the Louisiana Department of Health Review, Advise, and Inform Board. She continues active clinical practice as a Registered Nurse in the obstetrical emergency department at St. Francis Medical Center in Monroe, and partners with the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady (FMOL) Health System in a maternal sepsis initiative, reinforcing her commitment to improving maternal health outcomes.
Dr. Kennedy has been awarded multiple endowed professorships and has co-investigated funded research focused on maternal-child health, interprofessional collaboration, and rural health outcomes. She remains committed to academic excellence, health equity, and shaping the next generation of advanced practice nurses through mentorship, service, and scholarship. Her commitment to professional nursing organizations is exemplified through her membership in the Louisiana Association of Nurse Practitioners, AWHONN, and long-standing service to Sigma Theta Tau International, where she has served in multiple leadership roles, including chapter officer and past president of the Lambda Mu Chapter.
Outside of her professional life, Dr. Kennedy enjoys family camping trips and spending time with her five children, three grandchildren, and extended family relaxing on beautiful Lake D’Arbonne in North Louisiana.
