Students on the Hilltop might have noticed a new face in the special education department this past fall as Dr. Matthew Wood joined the special education program!

Wood holds his undergraduate degree from West Liberty University (WLU) which was in interdisciplinary studies. He also has two master’s degrees from West Virginia University (WVU), a MAT in secondary social studies education and MA in history. Currently, Wood is working towards finishing up his PhD from the University of Northern Colorado with an emphasis being on applied behavior analysis.

“I started my career wanting to teach history, in order to get a job, I applied for a special education teaching position. I fell in love with teaching special education and have never looked back,” said Wood.

Currently, this is Wood’s tenth year as an educator. He has previous teaching experience at Clay-Battelle Middle and High school located in Monongalia County. Wood has also taught at Preston High School which is located in Preston County.

Wood’s decision to teach at West Liberty was simple; he wanted to return to his alma mater.

Outside of being a special education instructor, Wood serves as the leadership in disability services advisor. This service was created for anyone who is looking to seek a leadership role or additional preparation for working with individuals with a disability. He is also the advisor for the innovative instruction program. This program is designed for educators that desire learning innovative and research-based instructional methods to help prepare pre-kindergarten to 12 grade students for their futures.

Wood has also been a participant in the diversity conversations on West Liberty’s campus during Black History Month which was in the month of March. He has helped to organize speakers and the African-American read in which was held this year.