October 20, 2026

Matty Wilder ’00 could not have predicted how his life would turn out. 

He heard about Bennington for the first time at the kitchen table of his best friend’s house. His friend’s mom said, “Matty, I think you would like this place. It's kind of funky. It’s out in the woods in Vermont. You should check it out.”

Wilder was the first in his family to attend college. He marvels that he and his mom were able to navigate the application process and financial aid forms. 

“I went to grad school about a decade ago, and got to see myself how challenging the process can be,” he said. “I’m still amazed my mom and I did this on our own.”

Bennington offered the best financial aid and was the only school that he and his mom visited. His tour guide lived in Franklin, which was the super quiet house at the time, he remembered.  

“I was not quiet,” he laughed. “But even with that as the example that I was given, I still knew Bennington was the place for me. You just roll onto campus, and it's like nothing else.” 

When he returned to his high school and told people he was going to Bennington, they were stunned. 

“Bennington was only three and a half hours away, but it may as well have been on Neptune. Vermont seemed like this other world,” he said. “Now I can't imagine having gone anywhere else.”

The Bennington Years

Wilder studied theater, worked all four years at Crossett Library, gleefully takes credit—along with the rest of his classmates—for getting Freshman Seminar cancelled, and hosted parties in his room in Dewey (middle room on the hump). One of his last big projects, and a favorite, was a play with alum and former trustee John Boyd ‘03.

“I talk about Bennington a lot because it was so formative, and it’s so important to how I operate still today,” Wilder said. “It’s where I felt challenged for the first time, to think critically, to push myself. You really have to self-motivate, no one is going to tell you what you’re supposed to be doing”

“Even in my dance class, we kept journals. We were writing all the time, which is a skill I continue to draw on in my work now,” he said. “There's such a foundation that you develop in writing your way through these classes.” 

He also values the Plan process. 

“I still reference that all the time: this idea that I had to articulate why I was taking an anthropology class as part of my theater training, why it was so critical for me to take dance, why I needed ceramics to inform how I thought about the shape of things. It provided the foundation for a life of inquiry and creativity.”

After graduation, he planned to move to New York City, but fellow actor Boyd was insistent that he “check out L.A.” 

The Post-Graduation Whirlwind

Wilder inquired about Los Angeles-area alumni at the Career Development office. A few days later, Irene Borger ’71 called Bennington looking for a recent graduate to interview for a program assistant job at the Alpert Award in the Arts, a part of the Herb Alpert Foundation. 

“[Irene and I] had this amazing conversation… I interviewed with her officially the week after I arrived in L.A. and got the job offer,” he said. “I expected to stay in L.A. for a year or two. I have been with the Herb Alpert Foundation for the last 26 years.”

He began by administrating the foundation’s artist awards but moved to a position where he facilitates the work of the foundation’s grantees, mostly arts organizations working with K-12 students in the Los Angeles area. 

“So much of what we do is about empathy. It's great if the students become artists themselves, but really it's about who they will be as citizens in the world. Learning about yourself through the arts helps to see other people and understand.”

“Theater is an exploration of humanity, so my work now is all intertwined [with what I studied at Bennington]. I can't separate those things out from the great privilege of getting to do this job.”

Giving Back to Bennington

Wilder has volunteered with the various iterations of Bennington’s alumni groups. He has hosted events and represented Bennington at college fairs. He also supports Bennington financially. 

“I can't imagine a world without Bennington. I can't imagine my life without Bennington,” he said. “Even in my twenties, when I was not making a lot of money, I always just felt that Bennington had given me so much. If my giving can help ensure that others get to have that experience, it's the least I can do.”

But that’s not the only reason he gives. Wilder’s work at the foundation gives him special insight into how philanthropic support works. 

“A gift to Bennington goes so much further [than it would at another college]. There's just that much more that your money can do on a campus like Bennington’s. It's much more tangible. You can see it in action.”

“Even $10, $20, $50, whatever. It’s about the number of people who give, not just the amount. Being able to communicate contributions from a high percentage of alumni is so important. That tells a story in and of itself.”

More than anything, Wilder values the connections Bennington affords. When he meets alumni from Bennington, even if they attended decades apart, they have a special understanding. “You just find your people. It never leaves you.”

“The magic of Bennington is these connections, like Irene calling the school because she knows how important and wonderful Bennington is. It’s led to this life that I couldn't have mapped out, even if I tried."