Matthew grew up in Verona, Wisconsin, and a circuitous route has brought him back to the Madison area. After completing a BA in English at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, he spent a year teaching in Thailand and then six years as a teacher and administrator at a bilingual K-12 school in Comayagua, Honduras. He managed to squeeze an MA in Environmental Studies somewhere in there as well. Since 2015, Matthew has been pursuing a PhD in Sociology and International Development Studies at UW–Madison, focusing on conflicts over scientific expertise, conservation, market access in rural development projects in Latin America. Outside of work, Matthew enjoys gardening, cooking, crossword puzzles, hiking, nature and wildlife photography, and preparing exciting adventures as a Dungeons & Dragons DM.