Former employee of the Financial Health Network

Kennan blends her experience in research and project management to support our Financial Health Pulse® initiative. As Policy and Research Director, Kennan conducts research to gain a deeper understanding of Americans’ financial lives. She also engages academic audiences and other stakeholders regarding Pulse research, working toward a more equitable financial system for all.

Kennan brings more than a decade of experience researching how different programs, policies, and institutions can support families’ economic security. In her previous role at the University of Michigan’s Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education, she served as Managing Researcher for Studies of Postsecondary Student Success. There, she oversaw multiple studies helping community colleges understand the impact of policies and programs designed to offer students from vulnerable populations pathways to work opportunities. Prior to that, Kennan held positions at the American Institutes for Research and the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University.

Kennan’s body of published work includes contributions to chapters in the book Bridging the Gaps: College Pathways to Career Success, as well as research appearing in The Journal of Family Issues, Contexts, Teachers College Record, and Research in Higher Education. She has also presented research at conferences organized by the Population Association of America, the American Sociological Association, and the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management, among others. 

Kennan holds a Ph.D. in Sociology and a Master of Arts in Statistics from the University of Pennsylvania, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Chicago.