Director, EPA – Office of Sustainable Communities
Matt brings expertise in improving environmental outcomes through community driven economic revitalization strategies. Upon joining EPA in 2004, he focused on collaborating with private sector developers interested in creating mixed use, walkable neighborhoods to meet growing market demand, and providing technical assistance to help cities and towns, particularly rural ones, leverage new development to support better health, clean air, and clean water outcomes.
In 2010, he joined OSC’s leadership team, where he has led partnerships with other federal agencies and states to support a cleaner environment, more efficient public investments in communities, and economic revitalization. During a White House assignment, he oversaw much of the day-to-day work supporting technical assistance in several metropolitan areas, including Fresno, Detroit, Cleveland, New Orleans, and Memphis.
Recent efforts have focused on supporting economic revitalization in Appalachia and other economically distressed parts of rural America. Prior to joining EPA, Matt was an assistant professor at Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi. He has a Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning from Columbia University, a Masters in City Planning from the University of Virginia, and a Bachelor of Arts in Government from the College William & Mary