2022 Veterans Day Speaker Biography

Colonel Keven Matthews

Colonel Matthews is a native of Honolulu, Hawaii and recently retired after a thirty-year career in the United States Marine Corps. An infantry officer by military occupational specialty, he served in a variety of units and positions. He has commanded Marines from the infantry platoon to the Colonel level of command to include command of 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment and the 8th Marine Corps District.

In addition to his infantry experience, Colonel Matthews successfully completed two command tours on Marine Corps Recruiting Duty, a tour as the Marine Corps Attaché to the American Embassy in Singapore and in his last activity duty tour, as the Joint Operations Center Director for United States Africa Command in Stuttgart, Germany.

Colonel Matthews is a veteran of Operations Southern Watch and Iraqi Freedom, and the United Nations Mission in East Timor.

Colonel Matthews earned a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from the University of the Pacific, a Master of Arts in diplomacy from Norwich University and a Master of Arts in strategy and national security affairs from the U.S. Naval War College.

He is the proud father of Emily (12^th grade) and Ben Matthews (eighth grade).