The Hon. Dana J. Kenworthy is a judge for the Second District of the Indiana Court of Appeals. She was appointed to the bench by Governor Eric Holcomb on January 17, 2023, filling a vacancy created by the elevation of the Hon. Derek Molter to the Indiana Supreme Court.
Prior to her appointment, Kenworthy was a judge for the Grant County Superior Court, a position to which she was named in 2010. During her tenure there, she established the Grant County Family Recovery Court, a problem-solving court that provides intensive supervision and treatment services for Children in Need of Services and families struggling with substance use.
Kenworthy earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and criminal justice from Ball State University in 1998. She then completed a J.D. at Indiana University, Robert H. McKinney School of Law in 2001. As a law student, Kenworthy sat as a member of the Indiana International and Comparative Law Review as well as a volunteer for the Pro Bono Civil Practice Clinic.
After graduating from law school, Kenworthy began her legal career as a deputy prosecuting attorney for the Grant County Prosecutor’s Office. She worked in that capacity until her appointment to the bench, prosecuting cases involving child abuse, sexual assault, domestic violence, computer-facilitated crimes, and juvenile delinquency.
Her memberships have included the Indiana Council of Juvenile & Family Court Judges, the National Center for State Courts Regional Judicial Opioid Initiative, and the Indiana Supreme Court Resuming Operations Task Force.
She is a recipient of the Outstanding Prosecutor Award from the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence (2005) and the Randall T. Shepard Award from the Indiana Pro Bono Commission (2006).
Born and raised in Miami County, Kenworthy resides in Grant County alongside her husband, Alex, a retired police officer. She and her husband have fostered 15 children over the years. When not presiding over legal proceedings, she enjoys traveling to historical sites, reading, cooking, and exercising.