Mr. Matthew Kirby

Mr. Matthew Kirby is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and a former Surface Warfare Officer in the U.S. Navy, and he earned a Master of Business Administration from Emory University's Goizueta Business School. His years in uniform instilled a lifelong commitment to mission-driven leadership that has guided every chapter of his career.

An entrepreneur for the last 25 years, Kirby has built successful real estate and franchised restaurant businesses, served as a high school football coach, and co-founded the nonprofit Sixty Feet to support vulnerable children in Uganda.

He is also the founder and former Chief Executive Officer of Liberty Classical Schools, a network of public K–12 classical charter schools in Georgia committed to a content-rich, American classical education that cultivates knowledge, character, and responsible citizenship.

Across every chapter, Kirby has combined entrepreneurial vision, military discipline, and a steadfast belief in what makes America strong: knowledgeable, virtuous citizens. Whether leading organizations, expanding educational opportunity, or investing in communities, he has built institutions that inspire excellence, form character, and preserve the ideals of freedom, civic responsibility, and servant leadership. A native Atlantan, Kirby has been married for 27 years and has three children in high school and college.

Mr. Kirby is honored to join DOWEA’s leadership team and highly motivated to support excellent schools, strong military communities, and the readiness of our warfighting force.