Margaret J. Wheatley once said, "There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about."
Born into a military family, Matthew Foster moved around the first five years of his life before his family settled in New Braunfels, Texas. The events of September 11, 2001 fundamentally changed Matthew’s outlook on life. As he watched the World Trade Center fall, he knew he was called to serve his country. After graduating, he joined the United States Army. As a member of the 101st Airborne Division, he deployed to Iraq in 2005 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. During his deployment, Matthew earned several awards and decorations for his service. He was honorably discharged shortly after returning from Iraq and moved back to Texas.
He graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington in 2011 with a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies, with a focus on public policy. He then graduated from UTA's Masters of Public Administration program in 2014 with certificates in public budgeting and taxation as well as nonprofit management. He served as an advisor on economic, education and veteran issues for several Texas congressional leaders and state representatives. He currently works as a Regional Director of External & Legislative Affairs for AT&T. He belongs to legislative work session study groups, public policy committees and policy think tank organizations.
Matthew was appointed to the Texas Veterans Commission Fund for Veteran Assistance Advisory Committee from 2012-2014 and served as vice chair in 2014. He helped direct over $23.8 million in grants benefiting over 150,000 Texas Veterans. He was the 2018 Distinguished Recent Graduate of UTA, served as Chairman of the Dallas/Fort Worth USO Board, and on YMCA boards of Grand Prairie and Plano, as well as many chamber of commerce boards.
His quest to serve fellow veterans led to his involvement with many local organizations, and he recently helped bring the PGA Helping Our Patriots Everywhere (HOPE) program to the Courses at Watters Creek. PGA HOPE is the flagship military program of PGA REACH and introduces golf to veterans and active duty military to enhance their physical, mental, social and emotional well-being. The six-week program is led by PGA professionals trained in adaptive golf and military cultural competency. All programs are funded by PGA REACH and supplemented by PGA Section Foundations, so programming is free to all veterans.
Matthew’s love for the community and public policy is trumped by only thing, his love for family. Matthew married his wife in 2005, just one month before his deployment.