Mat Hernandez

Mat is a proud Northern Highlands alum and resident of the town of Allendale, New Jersey. The education he received at Northern Highlands created the foundation off of which Mat was able to succeed in his studies at the University of Pennsylvania and in his current career in the management consulting world. Mat is running for the Northern Highlands Regional High School Board of Education to support the students and community he is dedicated to serving.

Mat is driven to help Northern Highlands modernize education with pragmatic and effective solutions. He wants to empower students to feel confident in applying skills they learn in the classroom to the real world. Achievement means nothing, however, if it comes at the expense of students’ well-being. So, Mat will focus on mental health and student support to lift all students within the school. Supporting all students also means reflecting on the school’s curriculum and practices to make sure that Northern Highlands reflects the rich diversity present in the community, country and world. And Mat is committed to taking those steps.

Mat’s experience ranges from scaling international education NGOs to facilitating states’ COVID responses to helping educators and administrators at Northern Highlands develop racial justice education plans with the Northern Highlands Alumni Action Committee. All of these moments have helped mold Mat into the best community leader he can be for the Northern Highlands district. To push for the changes that will support his community, Mat will put “Future First”.