Matthew has over 20 years of multi-sector experience within the restorative justice and conflict transformation fields including facilitation, training, program development, and consultation. He brings a longstanding passion for human and organizational development to the work of justice. Blending curiosity and compassion with exceptional organizational and technical skills, Matthew offers an empowering, collaborative, and highly principled approach to those he serves.
A peacebuilder at heart, Matthew was fortunate to be mentored by peace and justice visionaries from a young age and received a Master’s Degree in Conflict Transformation in 2008. After many years of serving as a practitioner and trainer in community settings, he spent from 2010 to 2017 as the Restorative Justice Coordinator for the Clackamas County Juvenile Department in Oregon. In this capacity he worked to align the department’s policies, programs, and practices with restorative justice values and principles; co-developed a Victim Impact Program serving those impacted by juvenile offenses; and redeveloped the County’s Victim-Offender Dialogue Program. Matthew innovated a community-engagement process to re-envision existing diversion programs and strengthen the community’s capacity to play an active role in responding to juvenile offenses through restorative justice values, principles, and processes. These experiences shaped his commitment to center community and the most impacted voices in his systems change work.
Matthew has a keen ability to provide a sensitive presence and engaged listening, to move individuals and groups towards both deepened relationships and their goals.
He is dedicated to his diverse hobbies of climbing, photography, carpentry, and tinkering in his yard. He lives with his spouse.