Brendan Kennedy is a partner in the NFRN's Hartford office. Brendan has a decades-long background in legislative and public affairs. He served as President and CEO of the Connecticut Retail Merchants Association. He also served as the Director of Community and Government Affairs for ARAMARK Services and was the former Executive Assistant to the Chancellor and Vice President of University Relations for the Connecticut State University System.
Brendan has served in a variety of positions both as an appointed and elected official including the Campaign Advisory Committees to Governors Grasso and O'Neill and United States Senator Christopher J. Dodd. His 14 years of elected service included a term as President of the New Britain Board of Education, three terms as the Chairman of the New Britain Board of Alderman and a term as President of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities. After serving as Chairman of the National League of Cities' Human Development Committee, Mr. Kennedy was elected to the Board of Directors of the National League of Cities. In 1982 he was a Democratic Candidate for the US. House of Representatives in Connecticut's sixth Congressional District.
Brendan has been a member of various civic and charitable boards in Connecticut including; the United Way of Greater Hartford, The New Britain Institute, the New Britain Symphony, and Constructive Workshops of Connecticut, for which he received the Distinguished Award for Services to the Disabled. He also served as the Chairman of Roncalli Charities and is currently serving as a Corporator of both the New Britain General Hospital and the YMCA. Most recently, Mr. Kennedy had been appointed a member of the Board of Directors of the Startech Environmental Corporation and is currently Vice President of the Connecticut State University Foundation. In addition, he is Vice President for the Prudence Crandall Center for Women and on the Board of Directors of the National Kidney Foundation.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science as well was a Masters degree in Education. Additionally, he is a graduate of the Corporate Community Relations Program at Boston College. In 1983, he was selected by the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National League of Cities to study in Germany as part of the Young Political Leaders Program.
Mr. Kennedy is a Veteran of the United States Marine Corps and was meritoriously promoted and honored as The Marine of the Month in December of 1967.
