Speaker Spotlight

Matthew Reynolds

Having lived in a variety of communities, countries, and demographics, Matthew has thoroughly honed his communication skills and paired them with an innate generosity toward the perspectives of others. With over 15 years as a teacher in secondary education, he’s passionate about disseminating knowledge. A focus on the performing arts has tuned his ability to reach minds and change hearts through multiple avenues of learning and processing. Matthew was named Top 5 finalist for Oregon Teacher of the Year in 2018 and received an honorable mention for the Excellence in Theatre Education Award, presented by the Tony Awards and Carnegie Mellon University. He was voted Teacher of the Year at Crater Renaissance Academy in 2009 and was awarded “Volunteer and Educator” of the year from Southern Oregon Queer Resource Center. SOU, 2006. 

Matthew Reynolds has over 35 years of experience as a performer and instructor in the Theater Arts and Dance. Matthew helped create the Crater Renaissance Academy of Arts and Sciences in Southern Oregon right out of his Masters of Arts Teaching program. He spent 12 years in the classroom where he built equity in his program, with his students, guided by the mission of "Creating Community through the Arts." Matthew now finds himself advocating for equity within the arts and education spaces. He looks forward to helping others craft their equity lens so that they may live their biggest, fullest, and brightest lives.