Matt is responsible for collecting, commissioning, and interpreting new research to help inform the implementation of effective social investments that strengthen and improve the community. He leads The Columbus Foundation’s grantmaking initiatives in the areas of neighborhood revitalization, affordable housing, and digital equity, in addition to working with several Supporting Foundations on their grantmaking. Matt’s depth of knowledge and experience in urban planning and
community development helps position The Columbus Foundation to be one of Columbus’ leaders in these areas of community need.

Prior to joining The Columbus Foundation, Matt was a researcher with the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at The Ohio State University for nearly a decade. While at Kirwan, Matt produced the Institute’s award-winning documentary feature film, Free To Ride, and conducted community assessments with partners around the country to help them understand spatial patterns of inequality and how to make their communities more inclusive and resilient by improving access to opportunity for their most marginalized members.

Matt began his career as a regional planner with the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission in Dayton, where he worked on land use policy, transportation planning, and regional development. Matt holds a bachelor’s degree in Urban Affairs and a minor in African and African American Studies from Wright State University, and a master’s degree in City and Regional Planning from The Ohio State University.