CDR Matt Edwards graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 1995 with a B.S. in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. Upon graduation, CDR Edwards served as a Student Engineer and Deck Watch Officer on the USCGC Vigorous. In 1997, he was selected for the Coast Guard Graduate Program and attended the University of Michigan where he earned a Masters of Science in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering and a Masters of Engineering in Aerospace Engineering. 

Following graduate school, CDR Edwards was assigned to the Coast Guard Marine Safety Center (MSC) in Washington, D.C. As a MSC staff engineer, he reviewed and approved vessel design plans for large U.S. commercial passenger vessels and foreign cruise ships. Additionally, he served as the Assistant Team Leader for the Salvage Engineering Response Team, a group that provides vessel salvage engineering support to Coast Guard field units. 

In 2003, CDR Edwards transferred to Sector Baltimore’s Prevention Department. As the Small Passenger Vessel Branch Chief at Sector Baltimore, he supervised the annual inspection and certification of over 300 commercial passenger vessels. CDR Edwards was next assigned as Supervisor, Marine Safety Detachment Massena, New York where he led Coast Guard Prevention missions on the St. Lawrence River and joint operations with various Canadian agencies.  

CDR Edwards reported to the Coast Guard Academy in July 2009.  

• M.A., National Security and Strategic Studies, U.S. Naval War College, 2011
• M.S.E., Aerospace Engineering, University of Michigan, 1999
• M.S., Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, University of Michigan, 1999
• B.S., Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, 1995

• Edwards, M. and Karr, DG "Analysis of Composite Patches for Ship Plating Fracture Repair," Ship Technology Research/Shiffstechnik, Vol. 46, No. 4, pp. 231-237, 1999.
• Marsilio, A, Reams, B., and Edwards, M., “Foreign Passenger Vessel Security Program,” Proceedings of the Marine Safety Council, Vol. 60/2.
• Edwards, M. “Joint US/Canadian Ballast Water Inspection Program: A Binational Approach to Securing the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River,” Present at the 16th International Conference on Aquatic Invasive Species, Montreal, Canada, 2009.

• Licensed Professional Engineer, Ohio