PEABODY —   I instantly liked Rabbi Emily Mathis, Temple Beth Shalom’s new spiritual leader, by the way she responded to my question: “What changes are you going to implement at Temple Beth Shalom?”

She quickly listed the virtues of the Reform congregation, its rich history and promising future, and said, “I have no interest in imposing any changes. It is not wise, efficient or helpful to impose my ideas. I plan to do a lot of listening and learning, while bringing who I am to the community. Despite some struggles, the temple has a good solid membership. It is amazing to me that so many congregants are interested in leading the service and the d’var torah.”

A St. Louis native and a resident of Providence, R.I., for the past 24 years, Mathis graduated from the Hebrew College Rabbinical School in 2009, having served in a variety of congregational and organizational settings over the past 11 years. She has taught in Reform and independent religious schools, and served as the education director both at Tifereth Israel Congregation in New Bedford, and The Friday School in Providence.

She taught a two-year adult bat mitzvah course at Temple Habonim in Barrington, RI; she also served as a rabbinic intern at Temple Beth El in Sudbury, and at Orchard Cove, a continuing-care community affiliated with Hebrew SeniorLife in Canton. For the past two years, she also led Reform High Holiday services at Brown University.

Prior to her work in Jewish settings, Rabbi Mathis worked at several non-profit educational organizations in Providence. She and her spouse, Hali Diecidue, reside in West Roxbury, have a nine-year-old daughter, and are expecting a second child at the end of the summer.

According to Beth Shalom President Amy Sliva, Rabbi Mathis is an intelligent and lovely person, with a genuine sense of warmth and beautiful singing voice. Both ladies began their leadership roles on July 1. Sliva’s daughter, Lauren, will be Rabbi Mathis’ first bat mitzvah in the fall.