A wooded trail on Theodore Roosevelt Island provides a sanctuary where Matt Tibbitts ’14 likes to organize his thoughts after the workday. Looking across the Potomac River toward Georgetown, he reflects on the path that brought him to public service: a Scranton education grounded in Jesuit values, transformative experiences abroad and a career devoted to translating global insight into government operations.
From classrooms in Chile to a small community in Honduras, from a Fulbright teaching year in Malaysia to a federal role in Washington, D.C., each step has widened the lens through which he views the nation’s impact in the world. “I’m fortunate enough to say that I'm in what I would consider a dream role,” Tibbitts said of his position as program examiner with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), where he has served since 2022, across two presidential administrations.
“We touch every part of the government through the funding and the development of the President’s budget and policy conversations. And, we play a unique role in collaborating between the agencies, the policy councils, policy leadership and the White House,” Tibbitts said. Nearly four years ago, he entered the prestigious Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) program in the Office of Federal Procurement Policy. The PMF program provides a paid fellowship for recent graduate students seeking careers in U.S. government agencies.
“To get a government job ... can be a slow process at times. PMF fast-tracks you,” he said. “I started networking within the building and ended up with the International Affairs Division.”
His advice, from personal experience: “Careers are not necessarily linear, especially in D.C. You have to create and trust your own path.”
Service at His Core
Tibbitts views a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) as the impetus for his career.
“That year was transformational ... realizing this wasn’t just an important part of my life, but something I wanted to orient my career around,” said Tibbitts, who put that motivation into practice within the nonprofit landscape. Four years of experience and three continents later, he pursued graduate studies at Georgetown University, drawn by proximity to future pursuits and faith-based foundation. “Jesuit education means service to others, and that has always been at the forefront for me.”
As a first-year student-athlete at Scranton in 2010, the Presidential Scholar connected instantly with the University’s mission, echoing lessons from his family in West Hartford, Connecticut. “One of my favorite buildings is Brennan Hall, because it has that phrase on the wall, ‘To whom much is given, much is expected.’ Growing up, I would hear that a lot from my parents. We were very involved in our church and community. “Going to Scranton, I continued that. We did a lot of volunteering, whether it was through the lacrosse team or other avenues.”
Tibbitts said parents, Jeff and Kate, provide unconditional encouragement: “Going abroad for long periods of time was challenging, but they’ve never wavered in their support and were always encouraging me to go on these adventures.”
Web Exclusive
Matt Tibbitts '14 Discusses Mentors and Memories
At Scranton, Dr. Susan Trussler and Professor Harold Anderson guided Tibbitts to 'take that leap' to Malaysia
Read Article
