Joe Kennedy (SESP07)

Joe Kennedy (SESP07) has the kind of job that many recent college graduates could only dream of—he works for the President of the United States.

Then again, after a year and a half of crashing on couches and enduring temporary lodging during Barack Obama’s campaign and transition, Kennedy just seems grateful for a regular place to lay his head.

“I do have my own bed, which is definitely nice; I was able to get some stuff out of my parents’ basement and put it back into an apartment,” says Kennedy, who joined the Obama presidential campaign in April 2007 and spent six months in Davenport, Iowa, helping to lay the groundwork for the landmark victory in the Iowa caucuses.

“DC is a great city—between the Hill and all the political jobs and the agencies, you have a tremendous amount of young people. It’s a fun city to be living in.”

That’s especially true when you work on the 1600 block of Pennsylvania Avenue. Kennedy now serves as a staff assistant in the Office of Public Engagement (formerly the Office of Public Liaison). Working out of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House grounds, he serves as a point of contact for agriculture groups, ethnic communities, and sportsmen.

Kennedy also handles sports outreach, helping to facilitate the President’s visits with championship teams—something in which he takes particular interest as a former Northwestern basketball player.

“It’s been great to get some of these teams to interact with the president in a less traditional way,” says Kennedy. “We did an event with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the President wanted to do a service event with them, making care packages for our wounded warriors. That was just an amazing thing to be a part of.”

Kennedy’s interest in politics began in high school, but was further kindled at the School of Education and Social Policy, where he majored in social policy and religious studies. He says the broad knowledge of policy issues he gained in class helped him effectively engage with voters on the campaign trail.

Wildcats basketball also played a role in leading him down the political path. During Kennedy’s playing career, Craig Robinson—the brother of First Lady Michelle Obama—was an assistant under head coach Bill Carmody.

“I had heard about Craig Robinson’s brother-in-law who was going to run for the senate,” he recalls. “I talked to Coach Robinson and Coach Carmody about doing a summer internship, and they said I should apply and see what happens. That connected me to learning more about Senator Obama. I applied and ending up working in his senate office and I loved it.”

Another opportunity Kennedy admits he’d love remains unfulfilled—a chance to play in one of President Obama’s now-famous pick-up basketball games.

“I bug (President Obama’s personal aide) Reggie Love every now and then to see where he’s going to play hoops, but I have not had the lucky opportunity to play the President yet,” Kennedy says with a laugh. “That’s something I’m certainly looking forward to.”

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Posted January 6, 2010.