- Appointed in 1995
- B.S. University of Tennessee
- B.S. Salve Regina University
- M.Ed. Rhode Island College
- 401.849.4646 x205
- mkemp@pennfield.org
Mattie Edwards Kemp started her professional career at Pennfield during the 1994-1995 academic year. Mattie’s son, who is a graduate of Pennfield, entered Kindergarten the same year. She earned undergraduate degrees from the University of Tennessee and Salve Regina University and received a M.Ed. in educational leadership from Rhode Island College. After ten years teaching second grade, Ms. Edwards Kemp joined the Upper School, where she has held multiple positions. Mattie has served as the Curriculum Coordinator, Head of Upper School, Assistant Head of School, Associate Head of School, and was the founding chair of the Technology Committee, while continuing to teach World Cultures. Mattie’s newest adventure is serving as Pennfield’s first Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB), a subject about which she is passionate. This is a new and exciting position for her and allows many opportunities to interact with parents and the greater community.
Mattie has served as an adjunct professor at Salve Regina University and Roger Williams University. She served on the Board of Trustees for the Martin Luther King Community Center for ten years and is the current vice-chair of the Bristol Middle Passage Ceremonies and Port Marker Project. This provides an opportunity for Mattie to continue her work of seeking equity and justice by honoring the African captives and the Indigenous Nations who were instrumental in building colonial America and those who were often victims of human trafficking in early America. Mattie also enjoys container gardening, researching new topics, and watching documentaries or anything on PBS.