Troy Matson: Diverse alumnus
Director of Outreach and Strategic Partnerships,
Student Paths
Hamline University Alum
Troy Matson is one of very few African Americans to have ever been born and raised on Minnesota's Iron Range. He found his interest in people, politics and public policy early in life. He was elected Student Body President at Mountain Iron-Buhl High School before leading a student walkout that helped to convince area taxpayers to pass a levy referendum that failed two times prior. He also was elected President of the Hamline University Student Congress where he received an honors degree in Political Science in 1993. Troy is also a 1998 graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School.
Troy’s passions have been very evident in his professional life. He has been an advisor and staffer to numerous candidates and elected officials at local and state levels; his efforts in politics, education and issues of race have been chronicled by the New York Times and even the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Troy was selected as a Humphrey Institute Mondale Fellow in 1998 and received the Hamline University First Decade Award in 2000, an award given to those who make significant contributions to their communities in the first ten years after graduation.
Troy currently serves as Education Associate in the Mayor's office for the City of Saint Paul.