Kellie Kennedy completed her 17th season as the Wolf Pack women's basketball head coach in 2024-25. She is the winningest coach in program history, with more than 380 victories in her career with the program. The Wolf Pack women's basketball program has made the field in each of the last 12 NAIA National Championship tournaments.

Kennedy's squad went 18-12 during the 2024-25 season with three SSAC All-Conference selections: Alissa O'Dell (First Team), Deniya Thornton (First Team), and Caitlin Travis (Second Team). 

Loyola won its seventh SSAC Championship in 2024, and the Wolf Pack finished as Regular Season Co-Champions after going 15-3 in conference play, 26-5 overall. Behind grad students Taylor Thomas and SSAC Player of the Year Sandra Cannady, the Pack reached the Round of 16 at the NAIA National Championship for the second time of Kennedy's tenure. 

In 2023, Loyola went 27-3 overall and 17-1 in SSAC play as Kennedy was named SSAC Coach of the Year for the fourth time. She was also a WBCA National Coach of the Year finalist. The 17 conference wins are tied for its most in any conference in program history, and the team's 27 wins are tied for the most under Kennedy's tenure. The Wolf Pack made the field of the NAIA National Championship for the 10th year in a row, and the team included two All-Americans: Kennedy Hansberry, and Sandra Cannady, who was also the SSAC Player of the Year. 

Loyola captured its second-straight SSAC regular season and tournament championships under Kennedy in 2022. The Wolf Pack earned a berth to the NAIA National Championship tournament for the ninth season in a row, finishing the season with a 23-6 overall record. The team also hosted the first two rounds of the tournament in New Orleans, with the Pack earning a win over Menlo in the first round. Seniors Kennedy Hansberry and Tay Cannon were named NAIA All-Americans, and Hansberry was the 2022 SSAC Player of the Year. 

Kennedy was named SSAC Coach of the Year in 2021 after leading Loyola to its fifth SSAC tournament title. The '20-21 Wolf Pack also set a program record for highest winning percentage in a season (.913) after posting a 21-2 record. Kennedy took the Pack to their eighth-straight appearance in the NAIA National Championship tournament, where the team earned an opening-round victory over Langston University. 

During the 2019-20 season, Loyola’s dominance continued under Kennedy. The Wolf Pack earned their seventh consecutive NAIA National Tournament berth, posting a 21-7 overall record and a 13-4 conference mark. Kennedy coached an NAIA All-American for the seventh straight season, too, as Kaila Anthony was selected to the NAIA All-America Second Team and the WBCA All-America Team. Anthony was also tabbed the SSAC Player of the Year.  

In her 11th season at the helm, Kennedy led the Wolf Pack to their second-straight SSAC Championship crown and the fourth in five years. Kennedy's squad reached the NAIA National Tournament for the sixth-consecutive season in 2019, with All-Americans Kaila Anthony and Megan Worry leading the way. 

Loyola won its third SSAC Championship title for the 2017-18 season during Kennedy's 10th year with the program. Led by All-Americans Zoie Miller and Di'Mond Jackson, the Pack earned their way into the Round of 16 at the 2018 NAIA National Championship with a first-round victory over Our Lady of the Lake. Jackson was named SSAC Defensive Player of the year, while Miller earned SSAC Player of the Year and National Jesuit Player of the Year honors.

In 2016-17, Kennedy's Wolf Pack team collected a program-record 25 regular-season victories while going 17-3 in the SSAC and earning the Pack's second regular-season conference title. The team would go on to earn an invite to their fourth-straight NAIA DI National Championship. For her efforts, Kennedy was named Coach of the Year by both the Louisiana Sports Writers Association (LSWA) and the SSAC. The Wolf Pack earned three First Team All-SSAC selections and two NAIA DI All-American honors, with Meghan Temple named to the Third Team while Zoie Miller earned honorable mention.

With a 74-55 victory over Brewton-Parker on January 7, 2016, Kennedy became the all-time winningest women's basketball coach in Loyola history last season. During the 2015-16 campaign, Loyola finished the season with a 23-8 overall record and a 14-4 mark in Southern States Athletic Conference action. The Wolf Pack won its second-straight SSAC Tournament title that season and qualified for the NAIA National Championship. 

Coach Kennedy’s squad won its first-ever SSAC Championship Tournament title during the 2014-15 season. The team also began the season 14-0, which marks the best start in program history. Kennedy’s team finished the 2014-15 season with a 27-4 record overall, advancing to the opening round of the NAIA National Championship. Their 27 wins are the second-most in program history and their winning percentage of .871 is the highest in Loyola history. Three players were awarded both SSAC All-Academic and NAIA-Daktronics Scholar-Athlete honors. Two athletes earned a spot on the First Team All-Conference, while one player secured Second Team recognition. Kennedy’s team also boasted one WBCA NAIA All-American and an NAIA All-America Second Team selection, in addition to two athletes earning WBCA NAIA All-America honorable mention.

In her inaugural year, Kennedy guided the Wolf Pack to a GCAC Regular Season Championship, GCAC Tournament Championship, and a berth to the NAIA National Tournament. 

Kennedy joined the Wolf Pack after serving as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Tulane. During her time at Tulane, the Green Wave saw an impressive eight-year run at the NCAA tournament. While at Tulane, Kennedy also won five Conference-USA Championships and coached four WNBA players. She left the Green Wave following the 2005-06 season to enter private business.

Kennedy arrived at Tulane in 1996 after one season as an assistant coach at the University of Richmond. From May to July of 1996, she served as interim head coach of the Spiders.

Prior to joining the Richmond staff, Kennedy was the head coach at Division III Hollins College in Roanoke, Va. from 1993-95. During her time at Hollins, she served one year on the NCAA South Regional Committee. Kennedy was also the head soccer coach and an assistant professor of physical education at the Virginia school.

Kennedy landed at Hollins after three seasons as an assistant coach at UNC Wilmington from 1990-93. While at the school, she worked with all facets of the program, including planning preseason and postseason workouts, scouting and recruiting. She also earned her master’s degree in business administration from UNC Wilmington in 1993.

A 1990 graduate of the University of North Carolina, Kennedy was a four-year letter winner for the Tar Heels. She earned Most Improved Player honors in 1988 and was the recipient of the 1990 UNC Athletic Director’s Scholar-Athlete Award and UNC Women’s Basketball Senior Award.

Kennedy also earned recognition on the Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Honor Roll in 1989 and 1990, qualifying for inclusion on the Dean’s List both years.

The summer prior to enrolling to UNC, Kennedy was selected to play on an AAU Junior Olympic Development team called the Charlotte Monarchs. The Monarchs won the 18 & Under Junior Olympic National Championship.

A native of Concord, N.C., Kennedy was a four-year basketball standout at Concord High. She was twice named MVP of her prep team. During her senior year, Kennedy led the team to the Conference Championship and the State Final Four. That same season, she was named to the Western Region All-Tournament team. She was a three-time All-District selection while in high school.

Kennedy is the mother of Raleigh Kaiis Kennedy.