Maeve Fahey Kennedy McKean[1] (née Townsend; November 1, 1979 – April 2, 2020) was an American public health official, human rights attorney, and academic.

[11][15] She graduated from Georgetown University with a joint juris doctor degree from Georgetown University Law Center and a Master of Science in Foreign Service degree in international negotiations and conflict resolution from the Walsh School of Foreign Service in 2009.

[23][17] In March 2019 McKean, during an interview with Spanish news agency EFE, stated that her public health work is centered on women and children because they are "half of the world" and due to more funding and research going in to drugs and interventions that pertain to health issues related to men.

[18][25] In March 2020 she signed a letter, along with hundreds of other public health officials, urging U.S. Vice President Mike Pence to follow scientific recommendations and provide adequate funding in response to COVID-19.

[31] Reports from the Maryland Natural Resources Police say they were attempting to retrieve a kickball that had landed in the water.

[32] Fire officials from Anne Arundel County received an emergency call at 4:30 pm that day from a man who reported seeing a woman and her son, presumably the McKeans, in a small canoe near the community pier at Columbia Beach.

[10] Natural Resources Police reported that an overturned canoe was found around 7:00 pm on April 3, 2020, near Rockhold Creek in Deale[15][34] Later that night, after twenty-six hours, the Coast Guard suspended its search.

[3][6][7] On April 8, 2020, the medical examiner reported McKean accidentally drowned in the turbulent and chilly water of the Chesapeake Bay.

[37] An online memorial via Zoom, called A Gathering of Love and Thanksgiving for Maeve and Gideon, was hosted by the Kennedy family on April 11, 2020, and watched by over 3,000 people.