matt schlein

Executive Director

Pronouns: he/they

Matt Schlein is a former actor, writer, and director who currently serves as Founder and Director of The Willowell Foundation. For the last twenty three years, Matt has been committed to the consilience of arts, education, and the environment, with an emphasis on connecting youth to the ecology of the Champlain Valley.  The success of the work of Willowell has been documented locally, nationally, and internationally in film, newspapers, movies through the success of its programming that enables youth to connect with the environment, themselves, and each other.  Matt is passionate about writing and voice and embeds the humanities into all of his work. He has received Dewitt Wallace and NEA fellowships and in addition to his work at both Willowell and The Walden Project, he serves as President of The Vermont Council of Teachers of English and Language Arts and as a senior member on the coordinating committee for The New England Young Writers Conference. Matt holds a B.A., an M.A., and an M.S.W. from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.  He lives in New Haven with his wife Meghan and has three adult children.