Matt Morton Email & Phone Number

Matt Morton is a nonprofit & philanthropy executive, board director, equity and justice advocate and passionate community leader. Over his 20+ year career, he has led community impact efforts through strategic partner collaboration, provided technical assistance and training in urban and rural communities and designed innovative programs to address persistent barriers to community prosperity. In 2011, Matt was elected to the Board of Education for Portland Public Schools, the region’s largest school district serving more than 50,000 students. His experience as both an elected official and nonprofit executive has given him an appreciation for the vital balance between public policy decisions and direct service action. In 2013, Matt was appointed by Governor Kitzhaber to serve as the inaugural Chair of the Youth Development Council, a diverse, statewide group charged with aligning nearly $1B in youth programs to increase educational success, reduce high risk behaviors and be integrated, measurable and accountable to supporting Oregon’s education system.At Meyer Memorial Trust, communities across Oregon saw Matt as a critical partner in building successful strategies to complex challenges. In six years, he has directed nearly $50 million in private philanthropic dollars to achieve equitable outcomes and create a more just public education system. Matt served as the Executive Director of the Native American Youth and Family Center, a Portland-based nonprofit widely recognized as one of the most effective and innovative wraparound service providers for Native Americans in the country. During his tenure, Matt grew the organization’s operating budget by 23% to over $10M and managed $30M in agency assets.Matt has an extensive record of community leadership and governance, including over 20 years of nonprofit board leadership, most recently as Chair and founding board member of the NAYA Action Fund (a 501c4 engaging in political advocacy and building electoral power in partnership with the Native community in Oregon and Washington) and Vice Chair of Native Americans in Philanthropy.In 2009, Matt received the Light A Fire Award for board leadership, and in 2014, he received the Portland Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 Award. Matt was honored with the 2019 American Indian Science & Engineering Society Foundation Partner Service Award & Lane Community College Foundation’s President's Circle Award for Philanthropy. In 2023, the OSU Alumni Association recognized Matt as an Alumni Fellow.

Listed skills include Community Development, Community Outreach, Program Development, Public Policy, and 38 others.