Born in San Diego, California, and raised in Modesto, CA, he has been in the Recreation and Parks business since high school. He started as a summer recreation leader for Modesto City Parks until he left for Fresno State University. While playing water polo at Fresno State, the Chief Ranger of nearby Millerton Lake State Recreation Area approached him to be a seasonal lifeguard. While working there and before he could finish college, he was offered a position as a permanent lifeguard with the State of California Department of Parks and Recreation. State Park Lifeguards are trained as Peace Officers, which becomes their primary role. He and his wife Alix married while in the academy, awaiting Matt's future assignment. They moved to their new assignment at Huntington and Bolsa Chica State Beaches in Huntington Beach. After three years there, they took an assignment on the Sonoma Coast, protecting all the visitors to Sonoma Coast State Beaches. Their daughter Emma was born the second year into that assignment, and their lives were forever enriched. He continued to accept more challenging positions of authority with State Parks and moved 12 times in 10 years before landing in Carmel in 2005. In between, they were in Fresno, Riverside, and San Diego Counties, working in various positions with some of the most amazing parks in the state. In Carmel, he was the district superintendent for the Monterey District, which ranged geographically from Big Sur to the south and up into the Central Valley. He took a few assignments to round out his career in Sacramento, with the last assignment as Deputy Director of the California Department of Parks and Recreation appointed by Governor Brown. He and his wife moved to Modesto in 2016 to be near family. He retired to take the General Manager job at Livermore Area Recreation and Parks District. 

Fun Fact: He taught himself to juggle at 16 by reading a Ken Follett fictional novel to bridge his love of reading with his fear of public presentation. He also taught his daughter to juggle at a very early age to break the ice with people.

He looks forward to serving the public and employees of this great district!