Before arriving at Middlebury in the fall of 2002, Matt Jennings spent seven years in Washington, D.C., working at Sidwell Friends School, where he edited an award-winning magazine and directed a comprehensive publications and alumni communications program. During the past decade, Matt has contributed to a number of publications, including Baseball America, Claremont McKenna College Magazine, Currents magazine, Lacrosse magazine, Occidental College Magazine, University of Connecticut Magazine, Washington and Lee University Alumni Magazine, and W&L Law Magazine.
A self-described faculty brat, Matt grew up in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley in the college town of Lexington, where his father was a professor of journalism at Washington and Lee. Though he dabbled briefly in broadcast journalism, Matt learned early in his career that his passion for magazines matched his desire to work in an academic community.
"I've been able to write about the most fascinating people and places, and I've managed to work in communities that crackle with intellectual life and creative energy," he says. "Now, being at Middlebury and editing Middlebury Magazine, I feel like I've taken all that I've experienced before—and multiplied it by an indescribable degree." During Matt's tenure at Middlebury, the magazine has won a number of national awards for editorial excellence.
A basketball and lacrosse coach while at Sidwell, Matt attends Middlebury athletic events whenever possible. He also has canvassed most of the the independent bookstores and movie theaters in the Champlain Valley. He lives in Middlebury with his wife Katie and son John.