The vice president of ACB Next Generation since the affiliate’s beginning, Matt Selm is well-known across our community for his collaborative spirit and strong leadership. He balances family life, work, and hobbies alongside his many volunteer activities in ACB.
Matt began volunteering in ACB back in 2014, when he helped establish the Kentucky Council of the Blind Next Generation, the precursor to ACB Next Generation. He became more involved in the Kentucky affiliate and got to know many longtime leaders, gaining wisdom and tips from them through asking, listening, and working collaboratively alongside them. Excited by ideas and possibilities, he sought out new leadership opportunities, eventually becoming the president of the Kentucky Council of the Blind and vice president of the ACB Next Generation affiliate, both in 2020.
Matt encourages aspiring leaders to keep lines of communication open with leaders who have been around for a while to keep opportunities open and to benefit from their experiential knowledge. He has experienced growth by listening to mentors and demonstrating his commitment to the cause through a willingness to spearhead projects. In 2019, he happened to be on the same flight as a well-known mover and shaker on the ACB national stage. Traveling through the airport and taking that flight suddenly became a whole lot more interesting. Matt fell into conversation with him about that leader’s experiences, shared his own views about how to motivate and support leaders within the organization, and not long afterward, he was appointed to the Berl Colley Committee. He still serves on that committee to this day, working collaboratively with ACB leaders across the country to create a place where experienced and emerging leaders can come together to share ideas, motivate one another, and make ACB bigger and better from the ground up.
Matt’s accomplishments within ACB are numerous, managing a board and several committees with individuals of all ages and across many walks of life. He emphasizes the need to listen to the perspectives of everyone on the team as a key aspect of respecting the democratic process of the organization. He also reminds us that he would not be where he is today without choosing to try, to put himself out there and be part of and build something. Sometimes that means taking on a project, other times it means speaking up and sharing your viewpoint, and other times it means listening and learning from mentors and connections, but the key is being deliberate about being present and involved.
Matt lives in Kentucky with his wife and two daughters. He works for Humana in their customer service department. He is a proud alumnus and supporter of all things University of Louisville Cardinals, and he loves when baseball season comes around so he can cheer on the Cincinnati Reds. He also is an avid free-time learner, reading books and listening to podcasts about history. He has a degree in political science from the University of Louisville, where he was also a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.