Meet Matt Hancock

When did you start volunteering with NPO?

2017

Tell us a little about yourself.

I am a Senior Software Engineer at Aperture Credentialing in Louisville, KY. I have an 11-year old daughter named Kylie that I love spending time with. And I am a huge University of Kentucky sports fan.

What inspired you to get involved with NPO?

After personally experiencing and witnessing some of the injustices of family court, I really wanted to help bring real change to the system, and also help others that may be going through my experiences and be able to support them so that they don't feel alone.

What is your position in your NPO chapter and what are some of your duties?

Kentucky State Chair - My duties include driving our legislative goals, advocacy, leading communication for our state team, and leading communication with our legislative contacts.

What are some lessons you've learned from your volunteer work?

The first lesson I learned, and it was unexpected, was how therapeutic it was for me personally. Meeting others that have gone through the same experiences I've had as a single parent made me realize that I wasn't alone, and also made me realize how much of an impact that group support can have.

I have probably learned the most on the legislative side, mainly with how state government works on the inside from the initial bill proposal all the way through with how it becomes a law. There are many steps along the way, and it's not always a speedy process. So patience is definitely a key virtue.

What advice would you give to volunteers working toward family law reform?

As I stated above, patience. The legislative process is a slow one, and it obviously involves politics, so that adds a whole different level of complexity at times. Another important part is keeping your personal story out of the conversation when working with lawmakers. The focus needs to remain on law reform itself, and sticking to the points where what you're proposing is best for children and parents in general, not just you personally.

And finally, always stay patient and friendly with your lawmaker contacts. Not every person you meet is going to agree with you all the time and/or make the move you want them to make. But getting angry and burning bridges will only hurt our cause in the long run.