Brenda Kennell, OTR/L, FAOTA is the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator for the MSOT program at UNCP.  Mrs. Kennell received her OT degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and her Masters degree in Special Education-Early Childhood from the California State University-Northridge. Mrs. Kennell has worked with adults and children in many settings throughout her 45+ year OT career, including industrial rehabilitation, driver rehabilitation, early intervention, and hippotherapy (therapy using horses).  

Mrs. Kennell is very involved in serving the profession of OT, including 12 years on the North Carolina Board of Occupational Therapy (NCBOT), 5 years as Continuing Education Chairperson for the North Carolina OT Association (NCOTA), 4 years on the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Ethics Commission, and currently on the Roster of Accreditation Evaluators for the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE). She was awarded the Suzanne C. Scullin Award by NCOTA in 2011 for contribution to the practice of OT and NCOTA, and the Roster of Fellows Award by AOTA as an “Inspirational Ethics Expert, Educator, Clinician, and Advocate”. Mrs. Kennell has presented locally and nationally on several topics including education and ethics, written chapters in OT/OTA textbooks, and is the co-editor and author of Everyday Ethics & Occupational Therapy (2024), AOTA Press. She loves being a part of the development of new practitioners, and derives personal and professional fulfillment in teaching in OT and OTA programs.