[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/matt-oliver-honored\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/matt-oliver-honored\/","headline":"Faulkner Alumnus Matt Oliver Making an Impact in Alabama Government Affairs","name":"Faulkner Alumnus Matt Oliver Making an Impact in Alabama Government Affairs","description":"Faulkner University alumnus Matt Oliver was recognized with the Distinguished Alumnus Award during the 2026 Marketplace Faith Friday Forums for the College of Arts and Sciences\u2019 Criminal Justice and Legal Studies Department. Oliver, a native of Augusta, Georgia, moved to…","datePublished":"2026-05-08","dateModified":"2026-05-08","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/author\/rburylo\/#Person","name":"Rebecca Burylo","url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/author\/rburylo\/","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/37a0c97fbd1eda89e38697defcaf0573?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/37a0c97fbd1eda89e38697defcaf0573?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Faulkner University","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Official-Horizontal-480x128.png","url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Official-Horizontal-480x128.png","width":480,"height":128}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/MPFF_Awards_2026_05-scaled.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/MPFF_Awards_2026_05-scaled.jpg","height":1833,"width":2560},"url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/matt-oliver-honored\/","about":["Alumni","News"],"wordCount":284,"articleBody":"Faulkner University alumnus Matt Oliver was recognized with the Distinguished Alumnus Award during the 2026 Marketplace Faith Friday Forums for the College of Arts and Sciences\u2019 Criminal Justice and Legal Studies Department.Oliver, a native of Augusta, Georgia, moved to Montgomery to attend Faulkner University, where he earned a degree in legal studies in 2020 before continuing his education at the Thomas Goode Jones School of Law. He graduated with his Juris Doctor in 2023.Today, Oliver serves as an associate with Swatek, Vaughn and Bryan, an Alabama governmental affairs firm where he has worked in various roles since 2019. The firm represents a wide range of clients across multiple levels of Alabama government.\u201cI enjoy the interactions with people and working to make the state a better place to live,\u201d Oliver said.Oliver credits his time at Faulkner University with helping shape both his career path and personal values. Through internships and professional connections made during his years as a student, he was able to build relationships that ultimately led to his current position.\u201cMy time at Faulkner actually led me to my current job through internships and connections,\u201d he said. \u201cFaulkner helped me learn a hard work ethic and how to best focus my time outside of academics. I couldn\u2019t be more thankful for those seven combined years.\u201dOliver also said the faculty at both Faulkner University and Jones School of Law had a lasting impact on his approach to leadership and service.\u201cMy professors taught me to put people first and to have high integrity in order to let my light for Jesus shine,\u201d he said.Oliver lives in Pike Road with his wife, Paisley, and their son, Callahan. The family attends Landmark Church."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Faulkner Alumnus Matt Oliver Making an Impact in Alabama Government Affairs","item":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/matt-oliver-honored\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]