Matthew Morris

Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Matt enlisted in the U.S. Army as an infantryman in 2010, eventually serving with Pat’s former company in 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment as a team leader and master breacher. Matt would go on to be recommended to attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on a rare combat veteran age waiver, making him the oldest known graduate since World War 1. After graduating and commissioning in 2017, he would finish his final years of service as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal officer at the then-named Fort Bragg, North Carolina, before seeking a new sense of service in the civilian world in 2022.

This search would lead him to Duke University as a dual degree candidate for a Master of Environmental Management and Master of Business Administration, positioning him well to find that alternative sense of service. With a focus on ecosystem science, community engagement, and environmental justice, Matt hopes to directly impact historically disadvantaged communities’ lives by reclaiming their connection to the planet through environmental conservation, preservation, and wildland reclamation.