Kent moved to Lake Forest more than 34 years ago with his wife, Nancy. During that time, they raised two daughters, both of whom attended Lake Forest public schools. Kent attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison and graduated from Northwestern University. He received his JD from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law. For the past 42 years, Kent has practiced law at his namesake firm, focusing on real estate matters.

Kent has been an active member of the Lake Forest community and has been involved in Lake Forest government since 2000. He served on the Zoning Board of Appeals for five years before serving six years as an Alderman on the Lake Forest City Council. He has also served on the District 67 School Board. Kent recently completed a three-year term on the Lake Forest Caucus and co-chaired the ad hoc committee tasked with updating and rewriting the Lake Forest Caucus Committee Bylaws.