Matthew Boulay enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve in 1997 and served a tour of duty in Iraq from February to September 2003. During that time, he was a gunner for a light armored vehicle and participated in the initial invasion of Iraq.  He received multiple decorations, including the Combat Action Ribbon, before separating from the Marine Corps in 2005 having attained the rank of Sergeant.

As a college student in 1992, Matthew founded a non-profit summer education program, Teach Baltimore, which has grown into the nationally recognized and acclaimed Center for Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins University (www.SummerLearning.org).  After graduating with a double degree in History and Hispanic Studies, he earned a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the Johns Hopkins Institute of Policy Studies.   He is now pursuing a doctorate in Sociology and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University and is the co-editor of the first book to be published on summer learning in 25 years: Summer Learning: Research, Policies, and Programs.

After teaching elementary school in one of the poorest districts in New York City, Matthew served as the Director of the Philip Evans Scholarship program at Swarthmore College (http://www.swarthmore.edu/evans.xml), where he mentored and counseled a group of high achieving undergraduate students.  He successfully replicated this program two times. 

He currently serves as the Director of the Fund for Veterans’ Education (www.VeteransEducationFund.org) and the Campaign for a New GI Bill (www.NewGIBill.org).  In this capacity, he designed and manages a national scholarship programs for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan while also lobbying Congress for a new GI Bill.  He organized a multi-state tour of “Hometown Hero Events” to highlight the plight of veterans struggling to pay for college and now speaks frequently on the issue of veterans’ education, including giving both radio and television interviews.    

He lives in Salem, OR with his wife Catherine, who is a general surgeon, and their two daughters, Ana, 6, and Claire, 3.  Having completed the Marine Corps Marathon, his hobbies now include reading history, playing racquetball, and visiting Ireland.