In 2015, Matthew graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a B.A in History and International Studies. While at Madison, he also studied Arabic and received certificates in Middle East and African Studies. During his time as a student in the Dual MA/MSc Program, Matthew wrote his dissertation on the First Gulf War and the use of “human shields” during the conflict.
After graduating from the program in 2017, Matthew moved to Nashville, Tennessee. While there he worked as a Curator at the Tennessee State Museum for several years. During his time with the museum, Matthew helped curate numerous exhibitions. These included Painting the Smokies: Art, History, and the Making of a National Park (2022-2023) and Building a Bright Future: Black Communities and Rosenwald Schools in Tennessee (2023-2024), which he served as the lead curator for.
Matthew has also written for the Appalachian Journal which is run by Appalachian State University and published by the University of North Carolina Press. In 2023 he co-wrote the article “‘Most Paintable Mountains’: Rudolph F. Ingerle and the Call of the Smokies.”
In 2024, Matthew moved to the Washington D.C. area. Currently, he works for the Fairfax County Park Authority in Chantilly, Virginia as the Site Manager for Sully Historic Site.
