Areas of Expertise: Southwest conservation issues, conservation planning, U.S./Mexico border issues, road ecology and wildlife corridors, spatial analysis, collaboration, coordination and outreach

As Defenders' Southwest Representative, Matt is responsible for representing and promoting Defenders in the Southwest and achieving regional conservation successes through strategic project development and implementation, education, research and advocacy. Matt works on state and regional conservation programs and their interface with national and international programs and policies, with a focus on Sonoran Desert and Sky Island conservation.  Matt represents Defenders on the City of Tucson Habitat Conservation Plan Stakeholder Advisory Committee, the Town of Marana Habitat Conservation Plan Stakeholder Workgroup, and the Ocelot Recovery Implementation Team.

Matt has been actively involved in Southwest conservation issues since 1996.  Prior to joining Defenders in June 2007, he was Information Specialist with the Merriam-Powell Center for Environmental Research at the Geospatial Research and Information Laboratory (Northern Arizona University). He has worked in various capacities for non-profit conservation organizations such as the Sky Island Alliance, New Mexico Wilderness Alliance, Wildlands Project and the Grand Canyon Wildlands Council. Matt is an active member of the Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection, a co-founder of the Tijeras Canyon Safe Passage Coalition, and is a Conservation Fellow with the Rewilding Institute.

Matt received his B.S. in Environmental Sciences and a Minor in Leadership Studies from the University of Denver in 1998.  After working on state and regional-level conservation initiatives in New Mexico for four years, he went on to earn a Graduate Certificate in Conservation Ecology and an M.S. in Forestry from Northern Arizona University in 2005 and 2006, respectively.