1. Kristina Marie Kerscher Keneally was born on 19 December 1968 and is an American-born Australian politician who served as the first female Premier of New South Wales from 2009 to 2011 and was later a Labor Senator for New South Wales from February 2018 until April 2022.
Kristina Keneally resigned from the Senate to contest the House of Representatives seat of Fowler, but was unsuccessful.
Kristina Keneally grew up in Toledo, Ohio, and is a graduate of the University of Dayton.
Kristina Keneally was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Heffron at the 2003 state election, succeeding Deirdre Grusovin after a controversial preselection process.
Kristina Keneally was the state government's spokeswoman for World Youth Day 2008.
Kristina Keneally resigned as Labor Party leader on election night and was succeeded by John Robertson, who was elected unopposed, on 31 March 2011.
In 2014 Kristina Keneally joined Sky News Live as a political commentator, later becoming co-host of To The Point.
Kristina Keneally took leave in November 2017 to stand as the Labor candidate for the Bennelong by-election, achieving a swing to Labor but losing to previous member John Alexander.
Kristina Keneally was given the portfolios of Home Affairs and Immigration and Citizenship.
Kristina Keneally lived briefly in Colorado but grew up in Toledo, Ohio, where she attended high school at Notre Dame Academy.
Kristina Keneally graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in political science in 1991, was a registered Democrat and worked as an intern for the Lieutenant Governor of Ohio, Paul Leonard.
Kristina Keneally later studied at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Kristina Keneally met her future husband, a member of the Australian Labor Party, Ben Kristina Keneally, at World Youth Day 1991 in Poland.
Kristina Keneally moved to Australia in 1994 to be with him, but they returned to the US, so Ben could take up a position with the Boston Consulting Group.
Kristina Keneally became a naturalised Australian in 2000, the same year she joined the Labor Party.
Kristina Keneally renounced US citizenship in 2002, prior to standing for election.
Kristina Keneally briefly attended the Australian Catholic University in Strathfield, New South Wales.
Kristina Keneally was elected to the seat of Heffron in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly in 2003, following a bitter pre-election battle with Deirdre Grusovin, the sister of senior Labor politician Laurie Brereton.
On 17 November 2009 Kristina Keneally was appointed Minister for Infrastructure.
On 4 December 2009 Kristina Keneally was sworn in as the 42nd premier of New South Wales by the State Governor, Marie Bashir.
Kristina Keneally pushed to renew the Labor Party, with 23 members of the 50 caucus members retiring.
Kristina Keneally's push included the resignation of the NSW Labor President, Bernie Riordan and retirements of Labor powerbrokers, Joe Tripodi and Eddie Obeid.
Kristina Keneally was seeking to lead Labor to a fifth consecutive term in government, and to become the second woman elected as a state premier in her own right, after Anna Bligh in Queensland.
At one point polls showed Labor trailed the Barry O'Farrell-led Coalition by 26 points on the two-party vote and Kristina Keneally trailed O'Farrell by 16 points as preferred premier.
Kristina Keneally resigned as Premier and state Labor leader on election night and announced she would return to the backbench.
On 11 June 2011, Kristina Keneally was granted by the Governor retention of the title "The Honourable".
On 23 June 2012, Kristina Keneally announced her resignation from the New South Wales Parliament.
Kristina Keneally appeared as a witness at the ICAC in March 2014 concerning investigations of her former colleagues.
Kristina Keneally said that she had had concerns about Obeid, Tripodi and Tony Kelly's lobbying and that their efforts had not influenced her.
In November 2017 Kristina Keneally was preselected by federal Labor as their candidate for the Bennelong by-election on 16 December.
On 30 January 2018 the Labor Party announced that Kristina Keneally would fill the casual vacancy caused by the resignation of New South Wales senator Sam Dastyari, who resigned earlier that month.
Kristina Keneally was formally appointed to the vacancy on 14 February 2018 and was sworn in as a senator the following day.
Kristina Keneally was announced as the new Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, Shadow Minister for Home Affairs, and Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship in the Albanese shadow cabinet.
Kristina Keneally resigned from the senate on 13 April 2022.
In September 2021 it was reported that Kristina Keneally would seek preselection for the Division of Fowler in the House of Representatives to succeed retiring MP Chris Hayes at the 2022 federal election.
In 2011 Kristina Keneally became a director of Souths Cares, the nominated charity of the South Sydney Rabbitohs and Chair of the Basketball Australia board.
Kristina Keneally resigned from Parliament on 29 June 2012, to commence work as the Chief Executive of Basketball Australia.
Kristina Keneally left Basketball Australia in April 2014 to spend more time with her family.
In 2014 Kristina Keneally began a career as a media presenter.
Kristina Keneally joined Peter van Onselen as co-host of Sky News daytime program To The Point on 1 June 2015 which airs during PVO NewsDay.
Kristina Keneally regularly contributed to The Guardian Australia on a range of politico-social issues such as religion in politics, same-sex marriage, and asylum-seeking between December 2014 and June 2019.
Kristina Keneally was appointed CEO of the Sydney Children's Hospitals Foundation in November 2022.
Kristina Keneally's husband is the nephew of Australian writer Thomas Keneally.
In late 2022 Kristina Keneally was appointed as chief executive officer of the Sydney Children's Hospitals Foundation, which raises funds for children's healthcare.
Kristina Keneally is a supporter of the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the NRL.