About Dana
Dana Marie Kennedy has been a leading advocate for families, retirees, and women for over 20 years, proudly and professionally acting as their voice at the local, state, and national level.
Dana has represented over 2.7 million retirees through her work with the Alliance for Retired Americans, a group she helped found and through which she helped found several other state organizations, and currently works as spokeswoman for the Arizona branch of the nation’s largest workers’ organization, representing over 165,000 of her home state’s laborers.
She spearheaded the successful Raise the Minimum Wage for Working Arizonans Act in 2006 that helped over 150,000 working Arizona family members earn a livable wage, and helped found the California and Arizona branches of Emerge, Women Leaders for a Democratic Future, which trains and supports women to take leadership positions on the local and national stage.
Her capability, competence, and track record of success became respected across the country after her much-lauded work for the National Council of Senior Citizens, the Massachusetts Senior Action Council, the United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and for many, many others.
Dana currently works for or serves as board member for numerous worker, senior, and women’s groups, including the AFL-CIO, the Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans, Arizona’s List, and more. Her two decades of experience with such groups crafting and implementing successful policy and community outreach programs make her a the right choice to craft and implement smart policy on your City Council.
Dana holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Work and a Certificate in Gerontology, both from California State University, Long Beach, and a master’s degree in Social Work and Certificates in Human Service Management and Gerontology, both from Boston University. She worked her way through college as a caregiver, developing great interest in and boundless compassion for long-term care delivery systems and families coping with the aging process of loved ones.
Dana lives in and loves Phoenix, where she enjoys running South Mountain. She is proud to have completed two marathons and several half marathons.