Friday, February 27, 2026
On Thursday, Feb. 26, the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) Board of Directors approved Matt Goodwin as the district’s new commissioner of athletics and academics.
Goodwin has been with the district since 2017, notably serving as the manager of athletics and academics from 2019-24. Among his different roles with Milwaukee Recreation, Goodwin has forged a career that has been dedicated to providing opportunities for young people, as he has supervised enrichment programming for youth at Twilight Centers, managed basketball and soccer Late Night Leagues for young adults, expanded professional development opportunities for rising coaches and officials, and created a wide range of new recreation club programs for high school students. Prior to moving into the commissioner role, Goodwin oversaw all of Milwaukee Recreation’s community centers and playgrounds programming.
“During his tenure with the district, Matt has consistently demonstrated thoughtful, reliable, and steadfast leadership in every role he has held,” Milwaukee Recreation senior director Annie Kubes said. “He cares about our young people and is extremely well-versed in the history of the Milwaukee City Conference. Working with the MCC team, Matt will continue to build on the foundation of our interscholastic athletics and academics program by collaborating extensively with school leaders, student-athletes, families, coaches, and community stakeholders.”
Goodwin holds a Bachelor of Arts in communications with an emphasis on public relations from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis on sports business from Saint Leo University.
He has also served on a variety of community boards and committees, including the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association’s (WIAA) calendar and contact committee (2024-present), Bader Philanthropies’ youth sports task force (2025-present), and the Wisconsin Adaptive Sports Association’s board of directors (2026-present).
A Milwaukee native and an MPS graduate, Goodwin brings firsthand knowledge to this position with his background as an athlete, a coach, and an administrator. Goodwin starred on the basketball court for Rufus King High School, winning back-to-back state championships with the Generals in 2003 and 2004 before playing collegiately at three different stops: Williston State College, Pacific University, and UW-Whitewater. He was an All-American at both Williston State and UW-Whitewater, and was named the most valuable player in his school’s respective conferences in 2006 and 2008.