Kerry Murphy Healey (born April 30, 1960) is an American politician and educator serving as President Emerita of Babson College.

Her father served during World War II and retired as a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army Reserve after 27 years of service.

After graduating from Harvard, Healey was awarded a scholarship by Rotary International and received a Ph.D. in political science and law from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland in 1991.

[6] Following her time at Abt Associates, Healey served as an adjunct professor in criminal justice the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

[9] Soon after beginning her term as chairwoman, the Massachusetts GOP began courting Mitt Romney – then the president and CEO of the 2002 Winter Olympics – to take over acting-governor Jane Swift's position as the Republican candidate in the upcoming gubernatorial election.

Upon taking office, Romney and Healey focused on erasing an estimated $600 million budget gap for fiscal year 2003.

On the heels of the Municipal Relief Act, Healey headed a bipartisan commission that "revised management practices for public construction projects designed to save money, increase accountability, improve safety, and give more control to local officials.

[26] As lieutenant governor, Healey sought or signed laws that curbed gang violence,[27] enhanced witness safety,[28] expanded the rights of those wrongfully convicted, advanced technology to track sex offenders,[29] curbed substance abuse, strengthened law enforcement's ability to combat opioid abuse,[30] and expanded protection from sex offenders.

The state Republican Party tried to steer Mihos into a race against Senator Ted Kennedy,[37] and also guaranteed him a spot on the ballot in the Republican primary for the governorship,[38] yet Mihos opted to launch his campaign as an independent, making the general election a three-person race; Deval Patrick was the Democratic nominee.

Early polls showed Patrick with as much as a 25-point lead[39] over Healey following a competitive Democratic primary, despite most voters backing Healey's support of rolling back the state income tax to five percent, denying in-state tuition rates at state colleges to undocumented immigrants, denying driver's licenses to such residents and requiring photo identification for voting.

[40] Following the primaries, a TV ad by Healey criticized her gubernatorial rival, Deval Patrick, for serving as the lawyer for the killer of a Florida highway patrol officer gunned down on a rural road.

In 1985, Patrick, then a lawyer for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, worked to reverse the death sentence imposed on killer Carl Ray Songer.

She criticized Patrick for having written to the Massachusetts Parole Board on behalf of Benjamin LaGuer, who proclaims innocence for a 1983 sexual assault, and for corresponding with the inmate.

[42] Critics of Healey's ad argued that it confused the proper role of criminal defence lawyers in the judicial system.

"The federal appeals court agreed with him that [Songer's] death sentence violated the Constitution of the United States," said Patrick spokesman Richard Chacon in a statement.

Patrick's campaign also pointed out that Healey's running mate, Reed Hillman, lobbied a parole board on behalf of friend James W. Mitchell, who was accused of assaulting a police officer.

[5] In 2008, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice appointed Healey to the executive committee of the Public-Private Partnership for Justice Reform in Afghanistan (PPP).

The partnership aims to promote a democratic rule of law in Afghanistan by providing scholarships, training, and other educational resources to Afghan legal professionals.

On August 28, 2009, The Boston Globe reported that Healey was considering running in the special election for the US Senate seat formerly held by Edward M.

Healey also serves on the advisory boards of the Harvard Kennedy School's Tubman Institute on State and Local Government and the MIT Collaborative's Healthcare Visionary Council.

The mission of the center is to expand access to the American Dream and tell the story of America through the eyes of those who came seeking opportunity, freedom, and a better life for themselves and their families.