Kenna Barrett, Ph.D

Kenna Barrett, Ph.D

Dr. Kenna Barrett is a fundraising coach at Pitch Perfect Fundraising in Silver Spring, Maryland. Kenna has raised millions of dollars for startups and world-class universities in areas such as social services, educational access, healthcare and the environment. Prior to joining the American Podiatric Medical Association as its senior fundraiser in 2018, Kenna served in leadership positions at Yale and Johns Hopkins universities. Kenna teaches fundraising at Sacred Heart University and coaches women, introverts and other change-makers in navigating the world of philanthropy.

Kenna brings her expertise in cognitive science, philosophy and English studies (writing and rhetoric) to her thought leadership. She holds degrees from Wellesley College, University of California San Diego and the University of Rhode Island. Her essays have appeared in CASE Currents, the New Haven Advocate, Composition Studies and elsewhere.

April 13, 2022 Donor Participation Project to Host First Conference

During the heart of the pandemic, Louis Diez founded the Donor Participation Project, an online meetup for fundraisers to learn from one another. The project will launch its first conference this month.

January 19, 2022 Expert Fundraisers Are Made, Not Born — And Here's How

What makes an expert fundraiser? Psychologist K. Anders Ericsson coined the phrase “deliberate practice” to explain how people acquired expertise, and while there’s nuance in today’s science of expertise, the most inspirational takeaway from Ericsson’s work is that experts are made, not born.