For Matt Budd, a member of the Class of ’96, Harley has always felt like home. He first arrived at the School as a Primary 3 student and spent nearly a decade growing up in its close-knit classrooms before leaving in 1992 for McQuaid Jesuit when his parents hoped for a larger school experience. But even as he continued his education elsewhere, Harley’s spirit of curiosity, connection, and compassion stayed with him.

After earning his B.A. in Elementary Education from the University of Vermont, Matt found his way back to the place where his love of learning began. In 2002, he returned to Harley to teach fourth grade alongside longtime Lower School teachers Margaret Tolhurst P ‘12, ‘15 (Lower School, 1992-present), Gail Hanss P ‘13 (Lower School, 1988-2023) and Raj Singaravelu (Lower School, 2004-2007, Middle School History, 2007-present). Those seven years in the classroom deepened his belief that education is not just about academic growth—it’s about helping young people become empathetic, thoughtful citizens.

While teaching full time, Matt pursued a Master’s in Social Work from the University at Buffalo, blending his passion for education with a growing commitment to community well-being and social responsibility. That dual focus would come to define his career.

After leaving Harley in 2009, Matt continued to teach and lead at schools that shared Harley’s vision of purpose-driven education. He joined the Ethical Culture Fieldston School in New York City as a fifth-grade classroom teacher and Service Learning Coordinator, fostering students’ sense of civic engagement.

Today, Matt serves at the Berkeley Carroll School in Brooklyn, where he is the Director of Community Action and Dean of the Class of 2029. In his decade there, he’s built programs that empower students to connect learning with life—developing leadership, empathy, and a global perspective. His work reflects his strengths in community engagement, student affairs, diversity and inclusion, and team leadership.

Matt sees clear connections between Berkeley Carroll and Harley, two schools united by shared beliefs: believing deeply in the power of community and in developing students who think critically and care about the world. This is one reason he is on Harley’s Board of Trustees.

He and his wife, Kimberly Sahler Budd ’96, are raising three children—Emary, Ellison, and Eleanor—and when they think about the kind of school they want for their own kids, Matt says they look for a place that feels like Harley and Berkeley Carroll: a nurturing, inclusive community where joy in learning is at the center of everything.