Richardson W. Schell (born 1951 in Evansville, Illinois) is an Episcopal priest who has served as the headmaster of Kent School from 1981 until 2020.[1] During his tenure, he was recognized for his leadership during the consolidation of separate boys and girls campuses into one fully coeducational school.[2]
Schell graduated from Kent School in 1969, Harvard College in 1973 and Yale Divinity School in 1976. He became an ordained Episcopal minister and worked in business upon graduation from Yale.
Schell joined the faculty of Kent School in 1980 as the chairman of the Theology Department and the school chaplain. He became headmaster of the school a year later. 1987–92, he led the consolidation of two separate boys and girls campuses into one. He also led multiple expansions of the school. In mid 2019 he announced his retirement as headmaster of Kent School. He officially left in June 2020 at the end of the 2019–20 school year.
In 1999, Schell made national news for his part in attempting—under the banner of Proud Sponsors USA—to dissuade advertisers from running ads during Seth MacFarlane's show, Family Guy. MacFarlane was a class of '91 graduate of Kent, and MacFarlane's mother was a former school employee. The Griffin family's name was believed to be inspired by another school employee, Elaine Griffin.[3] [4]