Professional Biography
Robert Kennedy’s career in communications and public service has provided him with significant experience in government, broadcast media and business management. During his university years, between degrees and his Master’s Degree work, Robert gained considerable experience in the US Congress, NATO, and the White House. He has produced media featured on NPR, broadcasted in the U.S. and New Zealand, and screened in festivals worldwide.
He earned his Master’s Degree in International Affairs with a communications focus from Loyola University Chicago in 2025. Robert earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communications, Law, Economics, and Government (CLEG) at American University’s School of Public Affairs in Washington, DC - one of the best in the nation - in 2019.
During his time working in and studying government, Robert served on the communications team of Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky. He learned directly under Jamie Shea, former Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges at NATO. Robert also attended many meetings with top European and American diplomats in Brussels, Ukraine, Bosnia Herzegovina and Serbia.
At the White House, Robert’s role was in the Office of Presidential Correspondence. He also studied under Griffin Thompson, the former US State Department Director of the Office of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency and U.S. Government Lead negotiator on Technology within the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
In digital media production, Robert has earned a Crystal Pillar Award, four nominations and multiple recognitions from the Seattle Film Festival, One Earth Film Festival, Illinois Broadcasters Association and the Broadcast Education Association. Robert co-produced the film “Tomorrow Begins Here” under the mentorship of sixteen-time Emmy award winner and three-time National Press Photographer's Association Television News Photographer of the Year, John Goheen. It has since been syndicated by ABC International, PBS, and Māori TV.
Robert executive produced a six-part award winning series on the Maxwell Street Market, the oldest street market in the US. He led six film teams, did archival research and is still engaged as a board member of the Maxwell Street Foundation. He advocates for its community of vendors, market goers, musicians, and historic preservationists.
He hosted a weekly radio show on music history for WLUW in Chicago, and was editor, author, and videographer for Loyola University Chicago’s “SustainLoyola” newsletter. Robert produced videos for the Moses West Foundation, an official partner of the United Nations and supplier for the US military that builds atmospheric water generators, which create drinking water from air humidity.
Robert’s worked at Weber Shandwick (Brussels) - one of the top public relations firms in the world. He ran social media accounts for the Youth Ag Summit, scouting and promoting young entrepreneurs solving food security issues around the world. He also did public relations for the AgVocate Podcast, which interviewed industry experts about the future of global food security. Then at No Such Agency P.R. in Los Angeles, Robert promoted brands with the stylist teams of Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish, and Lil Nas X, and others. He has done public relations work with red carpet designers, magazines, influencers, and sustainable fashion brands.
Because he wanted hands-on experience in a business he had known extensively from a policy position, Robert was the manager of a 10,000 sq/ft commercial greenhouse and tree lot at Beeson’s Nursery in Deerfield, Illinois. He directed teams of growers, sellers, and delivery personnel at a critical time for the multigenerational family business as it transitioned to a second location.
An interest of Robert’s that permeates much of his professional life has also been working in, studying, and meeting with experts in global food security. He was hired to the science program of the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research in Washington, DC, organizing cutting edge research teams and grant competitions. He wrote research papers with the help of Dr. Leo Marcelis of Wageningen University - the top agriculture research institution in the world - while studying global food security at American University in Brussels. Robert has also learned from the indigenous farmers of Xochimilco, Hopi, Lakota, and Kiribati, and his farming and agricultural business mentor Thom Beeson, whom we worked for as a commercial greenhouse manager. Robert applied his learning by building a 21-acre family homestead in Harvard, Illinois with organic gardens, foraging crops, old growth forest, automated watering, and a geothermal greenhouse.
Robert’s diverse experience has formed him into an excellent communicator and a valuable team member.