Elliot J. Kennedy '08

Elliot, a 2008 graduate of the University of Vermont, discovered his passion for working on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community while a student.

During his undergraduate years at UVM, he played a vital role in advocating for transgender and gender non-conforming students to be able to use preferred names and pronouns in University systems. Elliot championed policy changes and oversaw their implementation into UVM's student information system.

Elliot earned a law degree in 2012 from American University's Washington College of Law, and went on to work with The Trevor Project (a suicide prevention organization for LGBTQ youth) as a policy counsel in Washington, D.C. In 2014, he joined the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration as a Special Expert for LGBT Affairs, and in 2016 he became the first-ever Senior Advisor for LGBT Health at the Department of Health and Human Services.

Elliot has dedicated his career to advancing the rights and improving the well-being of LGBTQ+ individuals through law and policy. Elliot and his wife, Sarah, reside in University Park, Maryland.