Kennette Benedict
Encyclopedia
Kennette Benedict is the Executive Director and Publisher of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
. Before joining the Bulletin in October 2005, she had been the Director of International Peace and Security at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, where she also served as Senior Advisor to the President. She was responsible for grantmaking on issues of international peace and security including support for efforts to reduce the threat from weapons of mass destruction
, and a $50 million initiative on science, technology, and security. While serving as Director of the International Peace and Security Area, she established and directed from 1992-2002 the Foundation’s Initiative in the Former Soviet Union
and in 2000 established a program of support for higher education in Nigeria
. In her position as Senior Advisor, she worked with MacArthur’s President to review and assess the role of private foundations in the United States and abroad.
Before going to the Foundation in 1987, she taught at Rutgers University
and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
. Her research and teaching focused on organizational decisionmaking, jury decisionmaking, and on women's leadership and American politics. She has also published articles on global governance and on violent conflict. Prior to her academic career, she served in the Massachusetts State Planning agency on law enforcement and criminal justice.
Dr. Benedict is a member of the Board of Trustees of Oberlin College
and the Compton Foundation and serves on the Advisory Council of the Stanley Foundation
. She co-chaired the Peace and Security Funders Group from 2003-2005. She has served in a number of consulting and advisory capacities, including as advisor to the Rockefeller Brothers Fund
, the University of Minnesota
, and the Center for Effective Philanthropy. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
, the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations
, and the International Institute of Strategic Studies. She received her A.B. from Oberlin College, and her Ph.D. in political science
from Stanford University
.
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists is a nontechnical online magazine that covers global security and public policy issues, especially related to the dangers posed by nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction...
. Before joining the Bulletin in October 2005, she had been the Director of International Peace and Security at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, where she also served as Senior Advisor to the President. She was responsible for grantmaking on issues of international peace and security including support for efforts to reduce the threat from weapons of mass destruction
Weapons of mass destruction
A weapon of mass destruction is a weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to a large number of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures , natural structures , or the biosphere in general...
, and a $50 million initiative on science, technology, and security. While serving as Director of the International Peace and Security Area, she established and directed from 1992-2002 the Foundation’s Initiative in the Former Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and in 2000 established a program of support for higher education in Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
. In her position as Senior Advisor, she worked with MacArthur’s President to review and assess the role of private foundations in the United States and abroad.
Before going to the Foundation in 1987, she taught at Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
. Her research and teaching focused on organizational decisionmaking, jury decisionmaking, and on women's leadership and American politics. She has also published articles on global governance and on violent conflict. Prior to her academic career, she served in the Massachusetts State Planning agency on law enforcement and criminal justice.
Dr. Benedict is a member of the Board of Trustees of Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
and the Compton Foundation and serves on the Advisory Council of the Stanley Foundation
Stanley Foundation
The Stanley Foundation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, private operating foundation started in 1956 by engineer and entrepreneur, C. Maxwell Stanley, with headquarters in Muscatine, Iowa in the United States....
. She co-chaired the Peace and Security Funders Group from 2003-2005. She has served in a number of consulting and advisory capacities, including as advisor to the Rockefeller Brothers Fund
Rockefeller Brothers Fund
The Rockefeller Brothers Fund , , is an international philanthropic organisation created and run by members of the Rockefeller family. It was set up in New York City in 1940 as the primary philanthropic vehicle of the five famous Rockefeller brothers: John D...
, the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
, and the Center for Effective Philanthropy. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...
, the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations
Chicago Council on Foreign Relations
The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, founded in 1922 as The Chicago Council on Foreign Relations, is a leading independent, nonpartisan organization committed to influencing the discourse on global issues through contributions to opinion and policy formation, leadership dialogue, and public...
, and the International Institute of Strategic Studies. She received her A.B. from Oberlin College, and her Ph.D. in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
.