info@theteam.org
Joe Kennedy
The Team Co-Founder & Chairman
Joe Kennedy is a lifelong basketball player and coach with deep experience in both sports and the nonprofit sector. He is the inaugural Director of Athletics and Sports Leadership at the Obama Presidential Center (OPC), where he leads transformational programming designed to empower communities through holistic health and wellness, leadership development, career exploration, and relationship-building through sports and play.
A 2007 Northwestern University graduate with a degree in education and social policy, Kennedy was a four-year letterman on the men’s basketball team, captain, and three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree for the Wildcats.
His career began in public service as a special assistant in the Obama White House Office of Public Engagement, where he worked with national organizations to advance legislative initiatives. He also played a key role in creating a coalition of major sports organizations to support First Lady Michelle Obama Let’s Move campaign and coordinated championship team visits to the White House.
Kennedy transitioned into basketball operations and coaching, serving as director of men’s basketball operations at Northwestern, director of player personnel at Oregon State, and video coordinator for the Sacramento Kings. He spent seven years as the lead assistant coach at the College of the Holy Cross, where he helped lead the team to the 2016 Patriot League Championship and an NCAA Tournament appearance. A 12-year coaching veteran, he remains an active member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).
In 2022, Kennedy co-founded The Team and became its first executive director. He had previously collaborated with Coach Eric Reveno during the 2020 election cycle to launch All Vote No Play, a college athletics movement focused on increasing student-athlete voter participation. Partnering with Lisa Kay Solomon and Coach Reveno, they developed innovative civic engagement resources for college coaches and teams across the county. Kennedy is passionate about making civic engagement a priority in college athletics and believes The Team can drive meaningful systems change in the civic space.
"Nearly 600,000 student athletes across the country are overlooked by most traditional civics programs, and yet these athletes are often some of the most powerful voices and influential leaders on their campuses. College athletics provides an opportunity to develop great teammates, inspire tomorrow’s leaders, and empower athletes to shape the future they want to be a part of. Building off the All Vote No Play movement, we are establishing The Team to meet this challenge."
- Joe Kennedy, Co-Founder & Chairman, The Team