Matt joined A4O in 2024, bringing more than 20 years of experience in human services, including 18 years in child welfare. He spent nine years as an investigator and family assessor, where he emphasized family-centered, strength-based safety practices. Matt is passionate about identifying what works well for families, building on their strengths to help keep them intact, children safe, and safety networks engaged.
He later served for nine years as a supervisor across Family Assessments, Family In-Home, and Permanency Planning. In this role, Matt focused on streamlining case transfer processes and reducing silos between service areas. Matt also utilized practice tools from Signs of Safety and Safety Organized Practice model to support his team in quality service delivery through engagement, authentic relationships, and cultivating safety networks to support children and families. He became a leader in domestic violence-informed practice, training his agency’s workforce and contributing to a measurable reduction in children entering care and stronger outcomes for families.
Matt is a certified Safe & Together Trainer, dedicated to promoting child-centered practice and systems change that prioritize safety while keeping children with their protective parent. His approach to social work balances support and accountability, centering on safety, permanency, and well-being. He has cultivated a communication style that resonates with the workforce and extends to the families they serve, creating consistency, trust, and impact at every level. Matt capacity builds with workers, supervisors, and leaders to utilize emotional regulation, best practices, and safety-organized practice tools to support both the workforce and the people being served.
Matt believes that social workers’ engagement with each other, families, the workforce, and the community can drive positive outcomes. He is known for his creative, policy-aligned strategies that support families while meeting all mandates. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Appalachian State University.
