Born into a military family, Matthew Foster moved around the first 5 years of his life before his family settled down in New Braunfels, Texas. He attended New Braunfels Independent School District from kindergarten through 4th grade and then moved to the other side of the river, as they say, to attended Comal ISD . He graduated from Canyon High School in 2002 and lettered in both football and power lifting. He was very active within his Catholic church youth group and routinely volunteered at the New Braunfels Food Bank.
The events of September 11, 2001 fundamentally changed Matthew’s outlook on life. Sitting in class his senior year watching the World Trade Center fall, he knew he wanted to service his country. Shortly after graduating, he joined the United States Army. He was stationed at several training posts before he made it to his first duty station, Fort Campbell Kentucky. As a member of the 101st Airborne Division, he deployed to Iraq in 2005 through 2006 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. His team conducted over 180 different combat missions in support for US and coalition forces. Being deployed for a little over a year, Matthew earned several awards and decorations for his service.
Matthew was honorably discharged shortly after returning from Iraq and moved back to Texas. He began attending Austin Community College. After two extremely successful semesters, he transferred to the University of Texas at Arlington. While attending college, his desire to serve never stopped. He started the College Republicans chapter and led the university to host the first memorial event honoring the lives of those who died on September 11,2001. He graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington in 2011 with a Bachelors degree in Interdisciplinary studies, with a focus on public policy. He chose to continue his education and graduated from UTA Masters of Public Administration program with certificates in Public Budgeting/Taxation as well as Non-Profit Management in 2013. The University honored him in 2018 by being named as the Distinguished Alumni of the Year for his work with transitioning student veterans across the state.
He worked for Congressional leaders, Texas House Representatives and public school district leading public policy initiatives before going to work for AT&T as the Director of External & Legislative Affairs. He is responsible for the government & community relations efforts for the company across North, East and West Texas. He has been instrumental in the companies efforts to bring 5G to Texas as well as his work to close the digital divide and bring broadband to all Texans.
Matthew’s commitment to service has been recognized by countless local, state and national leaders. Former Texas Governor Rick Perry called him a "Wonderful Patriot." Former Dallas County GOP Chairman, Rodney Anderson, called him an "Official Bad Ass." He has served as the Chairman of the Dallas Fort Worth USO for nearly 5 years, the Vice Chair of the North Texas Crime Commission legislative committee,The University of Texas at Arlington CAPPA Advisory Board, and Collin College Foundation Board.
In Allen, Matthew has led the effort to increase the quality of life for all residents. He serves on the All Community Outreach board focused on making sure that all of Allen's residents have a place to go when times get hard. He served on the Allen Community Development Corporation making sure that the amenities like Allen great, like parks, trails, recreation centers, pickle ball courts, and economic development opportunities to grow the tax base are not only accessible to all residents but paid for using city sales tax revenue and not your property taxes. He is a member of the Allen Sunrise Rotary club that helps put out all of the wonderful US flags you see during patriotic holidays & the Annual Christmas Parade in Allen. He graduated from the Allen Chamber Leadership Class as well as the North Texas Commission Leadership North Texas course.
As a combat veteran, Matt's passion has centered on the mental health of his fellow veterans. He has worked tirelessly to make sure that ALL veterans in Texas get free access to our robust State Parks system regardless of disability or age. He has volunteered to take veterans on camping and hiking trips for free of charge to help them get back out into nature. In 2023, he led the effort to bring the PGA HOPE program to the City of Allen, providing free golf clinics to Allen veterans regardless of era, disability or branch of service.