Mary Kennedy is a professor in the Department of Teacher Education at Michigan State University. Her research studies focus on the relationship between a teacher's qualifications and the quality of their teaching practice. She is the winner of four education awards including the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education's (AACTE) Margaret B. Lindsey Award for Distinguished Research in Teacher Education. She also served as the vice president in the Division on Teaching and Teacher Education with the American Educational Research Association (AERA).