Matthew is a native of central Pennsylvania, who was transplanted to Rochester, New York at the age of 5 years. He graduated from Rush-Henrietta High School in 1977, and then attended Monroe Community Collage where he received two Associates of Science in Civil Engineering, Highways & Structures in 1979 and Environmental Control in 1980. After graduating from college he was employed by Fact Technical in 1980, Empire Soils from 1981 to 1991, vanderHorst Engineering from 1991 to 2001 and SJB Services from 2001 to 2005, where he held a variety of positions including construction monitoring technician, associate engineer and drilling manager. Matt joined Tierney Geotechnical Engineering in January 2006.

Matt and his fiancée Teena live in the Town of Henrietta, with their two dogs and two cats. Matt is a Life Member of the National Rifle Association, and enjoys hunting, fishing and camping. He has also been an active member of the North-South Skirmish Associations (NSSA) for the past 25 year. The NSSA is a national organization of over 200 teams who compete in shooting events including musket, carbine, revolver and cannon, utilizing Civil War period original or reproduction weapons. So hold firm, aim on the target, and shoot straight.