CHICAGO – Today, Mayor Brandon Johnson announced the appointment of Kennedy Bartley into the new position of Managing Deputy for External Relations. In this role, Bartley will bring her years of organizing and service to Chicago as a liaison for the City with labor unions, community groups, elected officials, and other external stakeholders, many of which were instrumental in Mayor Johnson’s historic victory last year.    

 

“As a proud former labor organizer, I am thrilled to welcome Kennedy Bartley to my administration,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “I created this position to show our unwavering commitment to community-focused governance. I am confident that Kennedy’s background as a trusted voice within the community will be critical in ensuring we are all working toward a better, stronger, safer Chicago that benefits all neighborhoods and residents, especially those historically left behind.”    

 

Bartley is a proven community organizer bringing over a decade of leadership in policy, legislation, governmental affairs and activism to this position from her formal role as Executive Director of United Working Families. Before joining the City of Chicago, she was appointed to both Mayor Johnson’s overall transition committee and the public safety subcommittee, adding to her extensive expertise in government relations and advocacy for community interests at all levels of government.   

 

“I am excited to join Mayor Johnson’s administration as the Managing Deputy for External Relations to make sure that we are executing the vision Chicago elected him to,” said Kennedy Bartley. “This administration understands its duty to serve all Chicagoans, and I know that through my work in this role, together, we will show what it means to not only talk the talk but walk it, too.”    

 

Demonstrating her continued commitment to racial, social, and economic justice, Bartley previously worked as the Director of Campaigns for the Chicago Torture Justice Center, helping to secure funds for a memorial honoring survivors of police torture. Kennedy earned her Bachelor's in Public Policy from DePaul University with a minor in African and Black Diaspora studies and a certificate in Geographic Information Systems.   

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