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Matt Schultz is an ordained Presbyterian minister, low-income housing activist, and a 2026 candidate for U.S. representative for Alaska's at-large congressional district. [1]
Schultz earned an art degree from Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania in 1995 and holds a Master's of Divinity degree and a Masters in Youth Ministry degree from Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey. [2]
In 2013, Schultz was selected as the head pastor of Anchorage First Presbyterian Church. [3] He previously served as the director of youth ministries from 1997 to 2001 with his wife, Elizabeth.[ citation needed ] He worked in Anchorage coordinating services and advocating for the homeless, elderly, and those in need. He is a board member of Covenant House in Anchorage, a member of the steering committee for Christians for Equality, and was a member of the Anchorage Homelessness Community Leadership Council. [4] [5]
After the primary homeless shelter in Anchorage closed in 2022, his congregation established a non-profit, First Presbyterian Church LLC. The LLC purchased a hotel for $7.4 million with grant and private partner money. They began the Guesthouse which offers low-barrier workforce housing for about 200 people. [6] [7] The property was later sold at cost to the Anchorage Affordable Housing and Land Trust and it operates as part of a portfolio of affordable housing in Anchorage. [8] [9] Schultz published opinion articles in the Anchorage Daily News [10] and in Newsweek . [11]
Schultz is married to the Reverend Elizabeth Schultz. They and their three children live in Anchorage.[ citation needed ] Each Halloween for trick-or-treat he offers a choice of a potato or candy, which has become a local sensation and new tradition. [12] [13]