The formative skills and opportunities shared and the adventures experienced have cultivated a relatable commitment to service in OA members and alumni as the OA’s circle has widened. Therefore, many alumni are exemplars of leadership inside and outside of that ring.
Matthew “Matt” Laudone is no exception to this, having learned more about himself and who he wanted to be when he grew up through the Order of the Arrow.
As an Eagle Scout, Vigil Honor member and Distinguished Service Award recipient, Matt currently serves as a Senior Project Manager, Economic Development at the Salt River Project.
Indeed, through his professional work, Matt incorporates some of the principles of environmental stewardship he first was introduced to within the OA.
“Environmental stewardship is a vital and necessary component of my every day, which helps the company to continue managing for the people who live within the service territory and keep up the pace of growth to drive our region’s economic engines,” Matt said.
“However, stewardship goes beyond the environment and, for us, it is truly about the stewardship of our community and those who live in it,” Matt continued.
Through the OA, Matt learned more about doing meaningful work than anything else in which he was involved.
“If you made me pick [what my favorite work I did in the OA was], I would have to say Order of the Arrow Trail Crew (OATC) staff,” Matt said.
“The opportunity to deliver what I believe is the best program the OA offers for a truly life changing experience. It is some of the most meaningful work I have ever done and I hope has left just as meaningful an experience on the participants I guided as it did for me both as a staff member and as a participant.”
In addition to serving as an OATC Foreman and participant, Matt worked on his local council’s camp staff, also doubling as the camp OA chief. He also served as a lodge and section officer, ultimately being elected to serve as the section chief. On the national level, Matt served as a section and region gathering staff member, a National Leadership Seminar (NLS) trainer, and as a NOAC participant and staff member. He also served as the Assistant Director of Conservation for Field Operations at Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, NM.
Evidently, Matt has impacted a multitude of different aspects of the OA and Scouting during his time in the program.
What did all this volunteering provide Matt in the long run?
“I think the most important experience from Scouting was becoming well-rounded and able to jump in and tackle any situation with my eyes open,” Matt said.
One instance where Matt utilized these influential skills happened quite recently.
“My company (and many others) is well known for rotating people into new positions somewhat without them asking to be, sort of voluntold,” he said.
“In fact, this happened to me a few months ago. I went from being a leader or expert in my field managing complex matters, consultants and trade organizations into something at the time I believed I knew nothing about. It was a massive mental struggle for me to understand why,” Matt added.
But Matt did not let the move bring him down.
“It [has] taken a few months but every week I understand more why I was the exact right person for what they needed. The correct perspective and openness to the new opportunity, mindsets taught and honed through Scouting and the OA will allow us to manage pretty much any situation. We just have to adjust that perspective and be willing to step back and look at the bigger picture.”
Even relating to the topic of change in the OA, Matt was a part of a change that signaled the beginning of the OA as we know it today.
“It may be hard for some [readers] to believe, but there was a time when NLS was analog and done without computers,” Matt said.
“It was all hard copy with physical displays, equipment (the staff used transparency sheets on projectors to present their sessions), and the regions were shipping a ton of stuff from event to event. I was part of the group that bucked that trend and computerized everything. It was controversial at the time. We do not like known quantities to change, but it was a necessary step to modernizing that program and a massive efficiency boost,” he added.
With Matt leveraging what he learned in Scouting and the OA, he wanted to provide some advice to the next generation of Scouts and Scouters who are looking to take what they have learned and apply it to their life.
“Step back and evaluate the things you love doing in Scouting (or outside of Scouting) and see what those can be applied to as a career. The best way to do that is to just try [stuff] and see if you like it; this should be a comfortable place for most of you,” Matt said.
“We have a vast array of people in Scouting. Use that network to help you do that. If there is something you think you want to do, there IS someone in Scouting who does that. Use your resources. Do not be afraid to ask, learn more and see what something is like,” Matt said.
“The only way to know is to do.”
In the last few years, Matt took some time as an adult to step back into a volunteer role through his council’s executive board, and for him, he contends that it changed his perspective on his youth work.
“I highly encourage people to get involved in their local board, as it is a vital cog in delivering the program. The complexity and difficulty of making the best choices for the governance of the organization while setting your own personal feelings aside is a shift,” Matt said.
When reflecting on his involvements, all of his accomplishments, and all that is still to come in his life, Matt has a lot to credit to Scouting and the participation that he had.
“I would never have been able to navigate my career in the ways I have without that experience and skillset built over years of participation in Scouting and more vitally the OA program. It can often be the things we do not realize we are learning or doing that end up shaping us the most.”
Matt currently resides in his childhood hometown of Phoenix, AZ with his wife. He is a member of the Grand Canyon Council and Wipala Wiki Lodge, and has continued volunteering for the council and lodge from his youth days until the present day.
The OA Alliance encourages its members to recall the practical, influential skills and experiences from their journey while learning about Matt’s with the hope that it rekindles the spark of timeless OA memories, too.