Dr. Cornelie Kunkat studied American Studies, Politics and Philosophy in San Francisco and Munich. After various positions in cultural management, she worked for the agency Scholz & Friends and later at the Federal Association of German Foundations. Since 2017 she has been a consultant for women in culture and media at the German Cultural Council. Her main fields of work here are the establishment of a contact and advice centre for questions regarding gender justice, the connection of existing women's associations and the conception and implementation of a nationwide mentoring programme for women in management positions in culture and the media.

Cornelie Kunkat lives with her husband and four daughters in Berlin.