About Kellen.

Kellen Heniford at a panel on the #MeToo Movement, Princeton University, 2019. Photo by Miguel Martinez, WHYY.

Kellen Heniford at a panel on the #MeToo Movement, Princeton University, 2019. Photo by Miguel Martinez, WHYY.

Dr. Kellen Heniford (she/they) is a historian, researcher, writer, and educator.

She graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University in 2014 with an award-winning thesis and a concentration in History and African American Studies. Kellen received an MA and an MPhil in History from Columbia University in 2017 and a PhD in History from Columbia in 2021. From July 2021 to December 2022, Kellen served as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Penn State University in the George and Ann Richards Civil War Era Center. They began working with Everytown for Gun Safety in December 2022, and with the National Park Service in March 2023.

Kellen’s academic work has been supported by the McNeil Center for Early American Studies, the Library Company of Philadelphia, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the Liberal Arts Diversity Officers Consortium, and the Mellon Foundation.

They spent several years involved in survivor advocacy and in organizing against sexual violence on college campuses. Kellen has been cited by a variety of media organizations—including the New York Times, the Washington Post, and NPR—on the importance of creating safe and inclusive learning environments.