LaShonda Kennedy’s personal philosophy around service is guided by Junior League Founder Mary Harriman. For LaShonda, community impact means rolling up your sleeves and doing what needs to be done in collaboration with communities, regardless of naysayers.

Over the last 16 years, LaShonda has rolled up her sleeves with four Leagues: the Junior League of Palo Alto•Mid-Peninsula (JLPA•MP), the Junior League of Austin (JLA), the Junior League of Denver (JLD), and the Junior League of Cedar Rapids (JLCR). With strengths in strategy, planning, project management, and operations, LaShonda has taken on a wide variety of League roles, including Ways and Means Chair and Vice President of Communications for JLCR. There, she is best known for her leadership in the implementation of their member management platform, which has significantly improved the way JLCR operates.

Currently President of JLPA•MP, LaShonda she is co-leading a task force to map out strategies for new practices regarding the League’s yearly distribution to the General Fund. While President-Elect, helped create a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Learning Circle. Before that, as an At-Large Member of the Board, she spearheaded the Governance Transformation Roll-Out project, which updated all bylaws and policies for JLPA•MP.

LaShonda has also served as an At-Large Member on The Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI) Governance Committee, where she led outreach efforts to help the committee present one of the most diverse leadership slates in history to AJLI. Additionally, she served on the Junior League Women of Color Nominating Committee.

Beyond The Junior League, LaShonda has lent her expertise to a variety of organizations in her community. She is Chair of the City of Redwood City’s Transportation Advisory Committee, Membership Co-Chair and Secretary of the Rotary Club of Redwood City, and Vice President of You Artistry Collaborative, an intercultural co-educational cooperative of artists and educators providing a community-based approach to learning.

As a Work Experience Instructor and SparkPoint Basic Needs Coordinator at the College of San Mateo, LaShonda supports student success and retention from classroom to job placement. She has over 10 years of experience in Workforce Development.