Benjamin Kennedy joined The Kresge Foundation in 2009 and is deputy director of the foundation’s Detroit and Community development programs.
In addition to grantmaking, he originates and structures program-related investments that support and advance Kresge’s strategic goals.
“Vibrant, livable and densely populated cities are essential to achieving economically sustainable and equitable patterns of global development,” Benjamin said. “Our work in Detroit advances this ideal in tangible and meaningful ways.”
He also serves as director of Kresge’s American Cities Project.
Prior to joining Kresge, Benjamin was with JPMorgan Chase in Johannesburg, South Africa, as an associate on the firm’s mergers and acquisitions team.
He also worked as an economic and political analyst within IHS Global Insight’s sub-Saharan Africa country intelligence group. His responsibilities included sovereign credit risk analysis, policy research and macroeconomic forecasting.
Benjamin earned a master’s in business administration from the Harvard Business School and a bachelor’s in economics from Morehouse College in Atlanta.