Matthew R. Quan received a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of California at Irvine. Shortly after graduation he enlisted in the U. S. Air Force and began his military and foreign policy career. As a decorated Captain and E-3 Air Weapons Officer in the U.S. Air Force, Quan accrued 750 hours of flying, including nearly 400 combat hours and four deployments in support of operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.

Quan transitioned out of flying to become an Afghanistan-Pakistan Hand, a Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff initiative to develop culture and policy experts in the region. He was later assigned to the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. as Country Director, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia, for the Secretary of the Air Force, International Affairs. In this role, he was responsible for Air Force policy in the region.

Matthew returned to his home state of California with a goal to refocus on domestic policy issues and enrolled in the Master in Public Policy at USC Sol Price. As a recipient of the USC Bohnett Fellowship Matthew worked within the office of LA County Board Supervisor, Kathryn Barger of the 5th district applying his knowledge of legislative analysis and budget administration. In his final year of graduate work, Matthew and a team of peers was awarded the 2020 Bob Biller Award for their work on Wildfire Vulnerability in Los Angeles County for the Homeland Security Council.