Dr. Rhonda Brinkley-Kennedy, PsyD, LMFT, is the Interim Provost and Dean of Education Transformation and Strategic Alliances (ETSA) at Union Institute & University. Upon graduating with a doctorate in Clinical Psychology in 1992, Dr. Brinkley-Kennedy, in an effort to meet the unmet mental health needs of under-served families of South Los Angeles, founded the non-profit South Central Training Consortium (SCTC). Along with her husband, Clive D. Kennedy, Ph.D., a Clinical Psychologist, Dr. Brinkley-Kennedy has provided the oversite and leadership to the training and supervising of hundreds of graduate psychology students. For 30 years SCTC has provided direct supportive services while partnering with various non-profit agencies, including agencies working with families struggling with homelessness, domestic violence, sexual assault, and re-entry.

Believing in the importance of bridging the gap between academia and university-community engagement, Dr. Brinkley-Kennedy has served in various academic and administrative roles at Alliant International University. She has taught various graduate courses in the areas of diversity, family violence, trauma healing, and community consultation. Her administrative roles included appointments as the Multicultural Community Clinical Proficiency Director and Founding Director of the School Psychology Program, and in 2017, she retired as the Interim Dean of the School of Education.

Dr. Brinkley-Kennedy is a licensed marriage and family therapist since 1989 and holds a school psychology credential. In 2002, Pepperdine University awarded her the Alumni of the Year for Outstanding Service Award. In 2018, she joined Union Institute and University, where she continues to bring innovation and insight into how universities can better engage and serve their underserved communities.