Matt Benson is a Program Analyst at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) working on its Farm to School Program. He is housed within the Office of Community Food Systems (OCFS). Matt is responsible for managing OCFSs research and evaluation portfolio including the Farm to School Census and tracking impacts of the USDA Farm to School Grant Program. Prior to joining the USDA, Matt finished his PhD at Virginia Tech majoring in Agricultural and Extension Education. The focus of his dissertation research was on exploring the role Extension professionals are playing in the farm to school movement. He also supported a Virginia beginning farmer and rancher development grant project, co-led an assessment of the Virginia Farm to School Program, and supported the development of a Virginia farm to table plan. Prior to entering graduate school, Matt worked for Virginia Cooperative Extension from 2006-2010 as one of its six Extension specialists in Community Viability.
Contact Information
Matt Benson, PhD
Program Analyst
3101 Park Center Drive
Alexandria, VA 22302
Matthew.Benson@fns.usda.gov
703-305-2556