Matt Shelton, 1996

Matt is president-elect of the Alumni Association Board of Directors and a civilian attorney who provides legal assistance to members of the military and defense department personnel at the Foreign Language Center in the Presidio of Monterey, California. At any given time some 3,500 individuals at the center study up to 24 different languages under some 1,700 instructors from 40 countries.

Matt was previously chief of legal assistance for the First Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kansas, where he supervised a team of military and civilian attorneys who provided legal and estate planning services to soldiers deploying overseas. He has also worked in a private practice and had a prior legal position with the 24th Infantry Division at Fort Riley.

His professional units have received multiple awards of excellence from the Army Chief of Staff and the American Bar Association.

Matt earned his law degree from the University of Texas in 1999.

Matt’s hometown is Alvord, Texas. At Cornell, he majored in philosophy and sociology and was a member of Mortar Board and the recipient of a President’s Scholarship. He tutored other students, served on the Student Conduct Board, and co-hosted a weekly show on KRNL.

“Cornell was transformational,” Matt wrote. “I met my wife, Sarah (Frahm, 1998), at Cornell as well as most of my closest lifelong friends. Cornell gave me the confidence to apply for and compete in a well-regarded law school and to advise clients ranging from privates to generals.”

Sarah owns a dental practice. The couple has three children and lives in Pacific Grove, California.

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