Local Judge Matthew Wright Named Texas A&M Law Alumnus of the Year

The Texas A&M University School of Law Alumni Board recently announced Judge Matthew G. Wright, ’08, as Alumnus of the Year. Judge Wright received the Judge Joe Spurlock II Alumnus of the Year Award at the law school’s fifth annual Alumni Legacy Awards Reception on Saturday, November 1, 2025, in Fort Worth.

This award recognizes Judge Wright’s exceptional achievements and significant contributions to both the legal profession and the Texas A&M University School of Law.

Judge Wright resides in Rosebud, Falls County, Texas, and serves as a judge in Falls and Bell Counties. He is also a faculty member at Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business, where he teaches Negotiations and Conflict Resolution, and coaches the advocacy programs at Texas A&M School of Law.

He is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States and is licensed by both the Supreme Court of Texas and the Supreme Court of Missouri. Additionally, Judge Wright is admitted to the Eastern Federal District of Missouri, the Western Federal District of Texas, and the Northern Federal District of Texas.

Internationally, Judge Wright specializes in negotiations, judicial independence, and judicial system reform. Currently, he collaborates with the Mongolian judiciary and legal community, supporting their efforts to safeguard human rights and promote the rule of law. He has trained Mongolian judges, lawyers, and prosecutors in American jurisprudence, coordinated seven legal diplomatic exchanges between the United States and Mongolia, and successfully negotiated three Memorandums of Agreement with Mongolia.

Judge Wright has been recognized as the American Bar Association’s Outstanding Young Non-Profit Lawyer of the Year in 2011, received the Texas A&M Public Interest Fellowship in 2017 for his work reforming rural courts, and was awarded the Texas A&M Alumni Public Service Award in 2021.

He is a member of The National Order of Barristers, a legal honor society, and has studied at the National Judicial College. His studies in conflict resolution and negotiations include coursework at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel, and at Hamline University School of Law. He has also attended Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government’s Program on Leadership for Senior Executives.

Before launching his legal career, Judge Wright served as Vice-President for Philanthropy and Operations and as interim President and Chief Executive Officer for the Scott & White Healthcare Foundation. Since 1998, he has worked in business, nonprofit management, and fundraising, writing or supervising over 600 grant submissions and raising more than $65 million in grants and individual donations.

Furthermore, he has contributed as a team member, leader, executive, or collaborator in raising over $150 million. The funds raised have supported projects such as renovations to the Paul J. Meyer Center – Family Abuse Center, the remodel, expansion, and construction of Reicher Catholic High School, Hillcrest Hospital, BSW specialty clinics, McLane Children’s, and non-profit offices, as well as providing operational support for research, education, military mental health on Fort Hood, disaster preparedness, and clinical care.

Judge Wright earned the rank of Eagle Scout with Gold Palm in the Boy Scouts of America and is a Vigil Member of the Order of the Arrow.