Joanne P. Hoffman, 69; directed the Upper School at Agnes Irwin

Joanne P. Hoffman, 69, of Bryn Mawr, director of the Upper School at Agnes Irwin, died Wednesday, July 12, of pneumonia at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Mrs. Hoffman became director of grades nine through 12 at the independent, all-girls Rosemont day school in 2013.

"Joanne's dedication to education stemmed from a deep commitment to helping young people find their own voice and passions," said Dr. Wendy Hill, head of school. "She believed every student had the potential to create a world with more beauty and understanding because of their unique contributions."

Over the last four years, she helped shape the school's future by contributing to an ambitious strategic plan unveiled late in 2016, and by revamping the Upper School curriculum to provide more opportunities for self-directed learning, Dr. Hill said.

The new curriculum, which will launch in September, includes courses in astrophysics, anatomy and physiology, art and society, the Third Reich and the Holocaust, multivariable calculus and linear algebra, economics, and neuropsychology.

"Her legacy will be woven into every Upper School classroom experience this year — and many for years to come — due to Joanne's passion for learning, empathy for the human experience, and pioneering spirit," Dr. Hill said.

Born in Corinth, N.Y., to Ruth and Joseph Petro, Mrs. Hoffman attended high school there. She earned a bachelor's degree at Marymount College in Manhattan and a master's degree at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., both in English.

Starting in 1969, she taught high school English in Connecticut. She was assistant head of school at Concord Academy in Massachusetts until 1994, when she was chosen as the first woman to head the Moses Brown School, a Quaker day school in Providence, R.I. During her tenure, the school strengthened its Quaker identity, made capital and academic improvements, and increased its endowment.

In 2009, at age 60, she retired. "I have loved every part of my job," she told www.redorbit.com, a website about science and technology." I have loved the complexity of it. But it seems a natural decision [to step down]. It wasn't painful. I think there is a natural rhythm in schools and in one's life, and this feels right."

By 2011, however, she was tapped as interim head of Friends' Central School in Wynnewood, which was in a period of transition while a new leader was recruited.

Search committee co-clerks Michael C. Kelly and Ann V. Satterthwaite said of Mrs. Hoffman: "Everyone who met Joanne was impressed by her leadership experience, her thoughtfulness, her ability to listen and communicate, and her passion for [Quaker] education."

She served two years before moving on to become director of Agnes Irwin's Upper School. At the time of her death, she was still on the school's staff.

Mrs. Hoffman also collaborated with professional organizations to increase  diversity and innovation in schools. She was active in the Headmasters Association, Head Mistresses Association of the East, and the National Association of Principals of Schools for Girls.

While employed as a teacher and administrator at the Kingswood-Oxford School in West Hartford, Conn., she met Richard William Hoffman. They married in February 1979, and had a daughter.

Besides her husband, Mrs. Hoffman is survived by daughter Caitlin Elizabeth Hoffman; stepdaughters Christine and Lynda Hoffman; two grandchildren; four stepgrandchildren; a brother; and nieces and nephews.

A memorial Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 5, at the Rosemont Chapel of St. Thomas of Villanova, 1229 E. Lancaster Ave., Bryn Mawr. (The chapel is not the church of the same name on the Villanova University campus.)  Burial is private.