Kelly Ann Cunningham, PhD
Community Engagement & Service
My community engagement and service to my department, university, and discipline inform my teaching philosophy as well as my research on trust. As a first-generation college student, I've also found community in my efforts to lead and support other first-generation students.
Beyond the context of higher education, I engage with my local community through volunteering at The Nashville Food Project's community gardens and by organizing events to celebrate local artists and musicians.
During graduate school my leadership roles included co-chair for Vanderbilt's Minorities and Philosophy (MAP) chapter, coach for the APPE Ethics Bowl Team (who were named regional champions in 2023), faculty and graduate student council representative, and Philosophy Graduate Student Association President. In these roles and beyond, I advocated for fair pay, dental and vision insurance, and affordable housing, for graduate student workers. At Bentley University, I've continued to support first-generation student success by joining the Tri-Alpha Honors Society and by working with my first-generation colleagues to pilot a mentorship program.
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You can read more about my work with first-generation college students and about my engagement with local art and music scenes on the sub-pages below.
My approach to teaching is informed by my experience as a first-generation college student. Since graduate school, I've taken on leadership roles and contributed to campus-wide efforts to increase first-generation student success and belonging. Most recently, my work during graduate school was featured here.
Beyond my work in higher education spaces, I also engage with the local art and music scenes in the cities I've called home. Most recently, my paintings and prints were featured in a pair of pop-up exhibitions I coordinated in collaboration with Side Street Studio Arts and the Elgin History Museum in Elgin, IL and COOP Gallery in Nashville, TN.
