NOVA Photographer, Kevin Mattingly, to Retire After Distinguished 30-Year Career

Kevin Mattingly, NOVA’s director of photography, will retire following more than 30 years of dedicated service to the College. Many know Kevin for his ability to make NOVA’s story come alive through his photos, but also for his upbeat attitude and humorous anecdotes that put his subjects at ease. He would often regale colleagues with stories of the college through the years and served as an amazing source of information on current events and economics. Fun fact: Kevin’s father, Joseph G. Mattingly, Jr. was undergraduate director at University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business back in the day.

NOVA’s Spring 2023 Commencement will be Kevin’s final act at NOVA, and we can hardly picture the place without him. While we will miss him terribly, he will now have the opportunity to embark on his long-awaited travels to chronicle the landscapes of Europe, tour the homes of his ancestors and compile a coffee table-style book of photography. In the immediate, though, he has bought a country home in southern Virginia that he will be renovating to enjoy with his adopted cat, Nut (sounds like Noot), named after the Egyptian goddess.

A NOVA alumnus, Kevin began working for the College in 1988 as a part-time photographer for the public information office. When he first started, there was still a dark room to process film, and he has overseen implementation of a full array of digital media processes to keep the department current across the decades. He left to work in D.C. for a few years, and he returned as the full-time College photographer in 1998.

During his time at NOVA, he has enjoyed covering events, and he even accompanied student trips like the college’s geology boat trips and field trips to the Supreme Court. His photos have been published in U.S. News & World Report, The Washington Post and many other national outlets.

Outside of his job taking pictures for the College, Kevin likes to…take pictures. He does historical and creative shoots on his own and has covered every kind of protest in the nation’s capital. He was even onsite for the dedication of the Vietnam Wall.

As College photographer, Kevin photographed events, portraits and action shots. He was masterful at using digital design suites like Adobe Photoshop and InDesign, and he has migrated thousands (and thousands) of photos over the decades to Flickr, a digital photo archive.

Please join us in Brault Room 276 on Wednesday, May 24, from 12 p.m. until 2 p.m., to offer your best wishes and fond farewell as Kevin embarks on his next chapter. More details on this event will follow as we approach the date.

Submitted by:
Hoang Nguyen, Assoc. Director of External Comms., HDNguyen@nvcc.edu