2026: Lt. Col. Matthew Schultz

The Susquehannock High School Alumni Association selected Lt. Col. Matthew Schultz, a 2002 graduate of Susquehannock High School, to receive the 2026 Susquehannock High School Distinguished Alumni Award and deliver the alumnus speech at the 2026 Susquehannock High School Graduation commencement on May 29.

Schultz, who has served as a warfighting instructor, held key logistics and command positions, and deployed multiple times, currently serves as the Marine Corps’ Senior Logistics Fellow at Pennsylvania State University. From 2023-25, he commanded the Marine Wing Support Squadron 174 in Hawaii where he led more than 400 marines and sailors in providing uninterrupted aviation ground support as the Marine Corps’ principal expeditionary aviation enabler in the Central and Southern Pacific - from Hawaii to Australia and the Philippines to Japan.
 
After graduating from Susquehannock High School, Schultz earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Minor in Professional Writing from York College of Pennsylvania. He joined the United States Marine Corps in 2007 after completing Officer Candidates’ School and further training in Quantico, Virginia, and Johnson, North Carolina. His first assignment was with Combat Logistics Battalion 3 in Hawaii, where he deployed in support of several contingency and combat operations in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and U.S. Central Command. His deployments include  Operation Caring Response to Thailand, where he coordinated humanitarian aid to Burma after Cyclone Nargis, Operation Iraqi Freedom 9.1 to Iraq, where he led a security platoon, and Operation Enduring Freedom 10.2 to Afghanistan, where he served as Assistant Operations Officer. After returning to Quantico in 2011, Schultz served as a warfighting instructor, the Regimental Logistics Officer, and a Staff Platoon Commander at The Basic School. He then attended the Expeditionary Warfare School before rotating back to the Operating Forces in the Pacific in 2015. Upon arriving in Okinawa, Japan, Schultz reported to Marine Wing Support Squadron 172 and served as the Squadron Logistics Officer and the Company Commander of Motor Transport Company. In 2017, he reported to the 3d Marine Division, where he served as the G-4 Plans Officer for the Korean Theater of Operations. In 2020, he returned to Okinawa, Japan, serving as the Deputy Plans Officer and Future Operations Officer, leading planning efforts for the Alert Contingency Marine Air-Ground Task Force, Joint Task Force 505, and a Joint Task Force associated with U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s China Family of Plans. In 2022, he transferred to the 3d Marine Division to enhance the division’s planning and preparation to serve as a scalable, joint stand-in force oriented on supporting rapid crisis response within the First Island Chain. Education and Family In addition to his education at York College and the Officer Candidates’ School, Schultz attended the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, earning a Master of Arts in Military Arts and Sciences, followed by a Master of Arts in Military Operations from the U.S. Army's School of Advanced Military Studies. Additionally, he holds a Master of Science in Strategy, Management, and Leadership from Michigan State University and a Master of Supply Chain Management from Pennsylvania State University. Schultz is married to Jennifer Valentin-Schultz, with whom he has two sons, Kai and Eli. He enjoys coaching youth sports, reading, surfing, paddling, and fly fishing.